Orange Honey Oven Roasted Whole Chicken is a sweet and savory dish featuring tender chicken coated in a flavorful orange-honey garlic sauce. Perfectly roasted in the oven or a Dutch oven, this recipe is easy to prepare and ideal for family dinners or holiday gatherings!
This chicken recipe is definitely a go-to in our house, and for so many reasons! The orange and honey glaze strikes the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess, making each bite unforgettable. It’s simple yet elegant, using everyday gluten-free ingredients and only one pot—perfect for easy cleanup.
Personally, I love making it during the holidays for something other than ham or turkey, but it’s also become an easy meal prep recipe. Plus, the glaze (marinade) goes well with so many things, like pork chops or even air fryer fish!
Tip: Using a Dutch oven for roasting a whole chicken helps retain moisture and intensify flavors. The heavy, tightly fitted lid traps steam, keeping the chicken juicy while evenly distributing heat for thorough cooking. Plus, the Dutch oven versatility allows you to sear the chicken first for extra crispy skin before roasting it, making it a one-pot wonder!
ingredients to make whole Roasted Chicken and glaze
You’ll need these simple, flavorful ingredients:
- Whole chicken: A 3-4 lb bird is ideal.
- Fresh oranges: Adds brightness to the glaze and cavity aromatics.
- Honey: Sweetens the glaze while creating a golden finish.
- Garlic and Onion: For a savory depth of flavor.
- Olive oil and optional balsamic vinegar: Adds richness and balance.
- Fresh herbs: Thyme or rosemary for aromatic notes.
- Sea salt and black pepper: To enhance every flavor.
TIPs for Success!
- Crispier skin: Pat the chicken dry before seasoning and broil at the end of roasting.
- Leftover ideas: Use leftover meat for salads, soups, or sandwiches.
- Make it ahead: Marinate the chicken overnight for a deeper flavor.
How to Make Orange Honey Roasted Chicken
1. Prepare Your Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels to ensure crispy skin.
- Rub olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper all over the chicken, including under the skin.
2. Make the Orange Honey Glaze
- Combine freshly squeezed orange juice, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, and honey in a small bowl. Mix well.
3. Stuff and Marinate
- Stuff the chicken cavity with orange wedges, garlic cloves, and a few sprigs of fresh herbs.
- Pour the glaze over the chicken and rub it evenly.
4. Roast the Chicken
- Place the chicken in a Dutch oven or roasting pan. Surround it with additional orange slices and onion wedges for extra flavor.
- Cover and roast for 30 minutes.
5. Baste and Finish Cooking
- Remove the cover, baste the chicken with pan juices, and continue roasting uncovered for another 45-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- For extra crispy skin, broil for the last 2-3 minutes.
6. Rest and Serve
Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with the roasted orange slices for a pop of citrusy flavor.
Orange Honey Oven Roasted Chicken
- Total Time: 44 minute
- Yield: 5-6 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Honey Oven Roasted Whole Chicken is a sweet and savory dish featuring tender chicken coated in a flavorful orange-honey garlic sauce. Perfectly roasted in the oven or a Dutch oven, this recipe is easy to prepare and ideal for family dinners or holiday gatherings!
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 2 oranges (3 oranges, for optional topping)
- 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ cup light olive oil
- ⅛ to ¼ cup honey (¼ the for larger chicken)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ tsp Kosher salt and black pepper, each
For the Pot
- 3 to 3.5 pound whole young chicken
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ onion or 1 large shallot.
- Optional Garnishes – Fresh thyme and orange slices
Instructions
Prep – Be sure to first remove giblets and excess fat from the chicken.
- Prepare the marinade by whisking together all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Set it aside.
- Prepare the chicken by patting it thoroughly dry with paper towels, ensuring the skin is as dry as possible. This step is key for achieving crispy skin.
- Marinate the chicken by rubbing/brushing as much of the marinade as possible all over the chicken, including under the skin. Since the marinade is liquidy, work carefully to coat the chicken evenly.
- Stuff the cavity with half a whole orange, a few onion slices, and three sprigs of thyme. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine to keep everything in place.
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan or a Dutch oven breast side up. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and ensure it’s evenly distributed using your hands or a brush. Arrange extra orange and onion slices around the chicken for added flavor, then cover the pan with foil.
- Roast the chicken by preheating the oven to 400°F (200°C) and roasting it, covered, for 45 minutes.
- Baste and continue roasting by removing the foil, basting the chicken with the juices in the pan, and adding a bit of broth or water if the pan looks dry. Continue to roast uncovered for another 30 -40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) when measured in the thickest part of the breast or thigh.
- For crispier skin, broil the chicken for 1-2 minutes at the end of cooking.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and spoon any extra juice from the pot over the chicken.
- Rest the chicken for 10–15 minutes before carving to allow the juices to redistribute. Serve with the roasted orange and onion slices for extra flavor.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Baking Tips – This recipe can easily be made in a roasting pan or casserole dish. Extra oil for the pan may be needed depending on the type of baking dish used to prevent the chicken from sticking.
Larger Chicken – The general guideline is to roast at 400 F is approximately 15 minutes per pound, which would be about 1 hour and 30 minutes total for a 6-pound chicken. However, the actual cooking time may vary depending on your oven and the chicken.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 45-55 min
- Category: Main
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 279
- Sugar: 13.1 g
- Sodium: 52.8 mg
- Fat: 16.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.4 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 17.5 g
- Cholesterol: 52 mg
Hello!
Can this recipe be adapted for instant pot or Ninja Foodi?
Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Sara! We do have a whole roast chicken recipe, made in the instant pot. You try using that method and adding the sauce to the chicken and under the skin. I wouldn’t add the sauce directly to the bottom of the ninja/instant pot as it might burn. Does that make sense?
Great! I may just do that! Thank you for replying!
Keep me posted
Thank you. I must try this sauce!
I make all my chicken dishes this way, for ease:
1. Bake 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs at 350 for 40 minutes, til the skin is crispy enough to remove easily in one whole piece with a fork. (This is faster, cleaner, safer, and not messy, compared to removing raw skin with one’s hands.) 6 thighs is enough for one person to have 2 thighs every other night for the week.
2. Pour off the grease and juices in the pan into a recycled can, to avoid consuming the saturated fat, for heart health. Cool on the counter, freeze, and then place the can in a plastic bag with a twist tie to prevent mess.
3. In a 2-cup measuring cup, stir together your yummy-sounding sauce ingredients.
4. Pour sauce over chicken thighs.
5. Return pan of chicken thighs to oven, to bake 10-20 minutes more til meat is no longer pink at the bone when slashed with a knife (50-60 minutes, total cooking time.) Serve with brown rice and a lightly buttered vegetable or salad.
This is a very simple cooking method. I’m sure yours is lovelier, but this allows me to get dinner on the table 3 nights/week in minimal time. I just reheat the leftovers the following two nights. I also make 2 cups of brown rice the first night, and cut up two large bunches of broccoli, and steam them til al dente in a steamer basket ( All these leftovers can be reheated the other two nights of the week. I make two dinners per week, each enough for 3 night’s worth, then alternate between the two meals during the week. The last night of the week, I eat leftovers, to clear the fridge for the next week.
I convert all chicken recipes to a sauce that can be poured over the baked chicken thighs, to enjoy many different flavors of chicken, including, now, yours!
Thank you again.
Oh these are great tips! Thanks for sharing Alice.
I’m so excited to try this, but how would the cooking times change for a 4.75 pound chicken?
I would add an extra 10-15 minutes but still check the internal temperature after it’s in the oven for 25-30 minutes. It needs to reach 165F. Maybe double the sauce or 1.5 x the sauce. Does that make sense?
I’ve made this recipe three or four times and always have the same problem: the breast skin gets stuck to the bottom of the pot during the stovetop part and rips off when rotating, so it never looks beautiful. Last time I tried putting down olive oil, cooking at lower temp, and not using the honey (which always burns onto the pan) and it still didn’t help. How do you prevent this from happening?
You’re using cast iron or dutch oven yes? Not stainless steel? If your chicken skin starts to stick, your pan probably wasn’t hot enough or you didn’t add enough fat. So first, try to turn up your heat a bit and add a splash of oil to see if it releases off naturally before you force it. (This is what I learned from Bon Appetit) I’ve even added a bit of broth to pan to help. Just a splash. let me know if that helps! So sorry your chicken is not cooperating. 🙁
Just updated the recipe notes too! Hope that makes sense and helps
besides garlic and thyme what other spices did you use?
Hi Jerry! I used garlic, onion salt, salt and pepper. You’ll find the full list of ingredients listed in the recipe card. Hope this helps.
I just made this, sooo good!
I didnt have onion salt so I just used a dash of seasoned salt.
Tried posting a picture but it wouldn’t let me.
Oh I love it! You should tag me on social media and upload photo!
Good recipe.. thanks! My husband is a wonderful cook, and he often rolls his eyes when I tell him I’m trying a new recipe. After we ate, he jumped up and volunteered to clean the rest of the chicken off the carcass. He ate another full helping of chicken in the process. (Read: keeper recipe)
We just moved into this house (with an electric stove/oven), so I’m getting accustomed to that. I was afraid that cooking first on the stove for 25 min on medium was too high so I turned it down. That resulted in cooking it longer in the oven, and drying up the sauce while in the oven. (the meat was still very moist) I’ll leave the stove top on medium next time, or make more sauce. I have a nice heavy duty Lodge Dutch oven, but the chicken stuck a bit to the bottom of the pot when i turned it over even though I wiped the pot first with olive oil. Any recommendations?
So glad you enjoyed it! I would try adding a little broth to the pan to help prevent sticking, next time. Keep me posted Kristin
My very fussy 9 year old step son just devoured this and informed me he could eat it every night! I only had 3 large chicken breast, so added the thyme to the sauce, poured it over and roasted it in the oven for 50 minutes at 400F, with foil for the last 20 minutes. Then i whisked the sauce into a glaze with 1 tbs each of water and tapioca starch. Served with brown rice and brocolli. It was totally amazing!!
Wish I would have seen thyme on the ingredients list 🙁 took a screen shot of the ingredients went to the grocery store. Came home. Then read I need time u_u
The thyme is just for garnish. You can use any herb really! Or skip it . I will update recipe. Sorry about that Denise
This just looks so amazingly easy and flavor filled!
Love me a one-pot wonder!
Me too! 😀
Love chicken in every way possible! Since I don’t have a dutch oven, I really like that you’ve included a roasting pan option.
Absolutely! Well thanks, it’s my pleasure.
This looks so pretty! I love the orange slices on top! And the savory and sweet mix sounds delicious!
Katie, you are so kind! Thank you! It’s to die for;)
SO moist and flavorful! Such a wonderful roast chicken recipe!
Why thank you, dear! It’s a good one, for sure.
very good. Thank you for sharing!……
Thank you thank you! My pleasure. 🙂
Honey and Garlic and Citrus sounds like the very best flavor combo in the whole world for chicken. :))) Drooling.
I agree! and feel free to drool any day. I’m with ya! ;P
I have the same confession! Bring on all the fall goodness.
Why I love you!
Do I keep the lid on the Dutch oven when it’s on the stovetop? Thanks!
I kept lid off. Hope it turns out well for you!
If I wanted to make this with chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken do you know how I would adjust cooking time? It looks delicious! But I’m way to amateur to attempt an entire chicken.
sure! with or without skin? HOw many chicken breast? I would aim for a 2 lbs or so. With skin would be tasty! Like the whole chicken. But if you use skinless, just cook it less. Maybe 15 minutes on stove and 15 in oven. Checking at 10 minutes in oven for doneness
and keep me posted!
Hi Lindsay!
This looks and sounds delicious!
It is saved to my files.
I also am not a turkey eater. The natural triglycerides in the meat, causes me tremendous migraines.
Give me chicken, goose, duck etc and I am a happy camper. I have a terrific goose recipe!
Haha I so agree! I love me some duck too! Great minds! I need a goose recipe. Send it my way. YUM!
No Problem!
I so want to make this, but my chicken is almost 9 pounds! ?. The cooking time would have to be adjusted but I’m lost on that. Help!
so I would still cook it the same on the burner, but then adjust in the oven. It will probably need 45 minutes or more. BUt check at 30 minutes to see progress. I would also at least double ingredients. Hope it works! keep me posted!
Ok ty! Also forgot to ask, i dont have a Dutch oven, but i have a roaster and stock pot. Would either one suffice in place?
Oh gotcha. Okay I would try it all in the oven then. Or a crock pot. Check on it after an hour. I’m assuming it will take longer though. DOes that make sense?
I am going to try the crock pot and I will let you know how it turns out. I can’t wait to try it thank you for all your help
I think that will work best. Feel free to message me on my FB page or on twitter. Email is cottercrunch@hotmail. xxoo
Oooh, Lindsay, the COLOUR on that …!
I’m with you on the turkey. I have one word … dry.
No dryness in sight here though. Really keen to try this one. It sounds like citrus chicken heaven!
Love that you’ve used your dutch oven, too. I struggle with knowing how to get the best use out of mine.
Thank you friend! It’s a favorite here for sure
I am with you! I don’t like turkey! But this sounds AMAZING!!!
Woohoo! Thanks, my dear. 🙂
Yuummmmmm. I feel ya on the turkey front. It gets so dry! And I am not a fan of gravy at all. So load up them sides for this girl! I’ve never cooked a whole chicken though, it makes me nervous! Maybe I’ll make my husband make this 😉
you can so do it! it’s easy! Promise
I do not love chicken or turkey or beef. I do love the idea of a one pot meal though and I also have a Hubby who loves chicken (and turkey and beef and you name it really). Also, I will happily share my homegrown garlic with you for this, so long as you give my man a wing. 🙂
let’s just have quiche and call it a day! always good, right?
What a gorgeous looking chicken…so flavorful!! These photos are all stunning, but there’s just something about that garlic close-up, I want to frame it and hang it in my kitchen 🙂
I make a similar dish with just breast or legs. I haven’t tried doing it for a whole chicken yet.must give it a go!/ yum!
YES!! Do it! keep me posted. xxoo
I am right there with you – I cant stand turkey. Vegas and I are having steaks. One day I’ll brave roasting a whole chicken, I swear.
mmmm steak –> BEST THANKSGIVING EVER
Wow, I can’t imagine my life without turkey! Haha. I love the flavor of orange with poultry so I think this is definitely a winning recipe!
thats how my husband feels about lamb! haha. P.s. Good to hear from you!
Omg I’m totally making this next weekend! Look out for it on my Menu Plan Monday post! ?
oh yea! can’t wait! thanks friend
Food poisoning on Thanksgiving sounds awful – poor Kiwi! I love roasted turkey on Thanksgiving, but the rest of the year I’m all about roasted chicken and make it a few times a month. This recipe looks delicious!
Yes, roasted chicken for 364 days! haha
I’m not a big fan of turkey, either! At Thanksgiving I tend to fill up on the sides, rather than turkey. Looks delish!!
sides are where it’s at!
I feel your husband’s pain! I got food poisoning at a Friendsgiving a few years ago and I have yet to go to another one since! I love that you only used 1/8 cup of honey for this recipe! I was expecting a lot more — can’t wait to try it in my new crock pot! XX
oh no! you poor thing. It is so not fun. Chicken or fish for you! <3
This is where it’s okay to think I’m strange. You know the only animal products I consume are chicken (and fish). So yea, I will not eat turkey and past Thanksgivings I have brought a chicken dish to the gatherings etc. ::P
i’d eat your chicken any day! love your recipes. FLAVOR BOMB!
YOU DON’T LIKE TURKEY?!
That’s okay. Dark meat > light meat and I think chicken trumps that in this regard. I love the idea of using a Dutch oven for this.. mainly to mop it up with baguette 😉
now that is pure genius!
We eat A LOT of chicken in my house so this will definitely be on the menu soon 🙂
YES!! so glad. hope you are settling in well
This looks amazing! I’ve been doing chicken in the crock pot but there is nothing quite as delicious as roasted chicken. Love the orange honey gralic combo idea!
agreed! it’s the extra crispy texture, right?
This looks amazing!! And so easy. Hmmm, need to go find myself a dutch oven!
you can easily just transfer pot the pot to a pan. NO prob!
So, my husband loves rotisserie chicken from the store. Instead, I decided to buy some chicken legs/thighs to make at home. I’ve been searching for a good recipe all week and tonight is the night that I’m supposed to be making said chicken legs/thighs. And today, you have the perfect recipe. All I need to do is grab an orange from the store! CANNOT wait to try this!
perfect!!!! keep me posted
You are not the only one cheating on turkey, Lindsay, we usually make chicken or cornish hens too! Orange/honey/garlic is such a wonderful combo – I’d pass on the turkey for a piece or two of this!
Happy Friday friend!
OMG i love cornish game hen! Heading to your house for turkey day! i mean cornish hen day! haha
I knew I’d love this, but now that I’m seeing it I REALLY love it because it’s so simple! Gah–always looking for new chicken marinades and this is a winner.
So thought of you! My food twin
Another amazing looking recipe! Roast chicken is a winter favorite – can’t wait to try this one 🙂
oh yea! keep me posted! I think you’d love.
let me know when you do! <3
I’m the worst at keeping up but then I’ll think of you, come to your blog, then your instagram and just end up 30 minutes later still on your stuff!!! haha! Looks delicious girl! I also have that fork that I use for all my food pictures lol!!! (world market i think lol)
haha yes! world market is the best! <3 you
Turkey and chicken taste almost the same to me (I guess I’m not that picky when it comes to that!). But I LOVE roasted chicken this time of year. Plus it lasts for a bunch of meals.
you are so right. I guess there is just a slight difference, right?
I love roasted tureky. And I make it to perfection. Seriously.
Confession: my husband cracks up like a little kid if you say the phrase “dutch oven.” Stupid boy.
hehe dutch oven. ANd p.s I’ll try your turkey if you eat rice. LOL!
Mine too! Every. Single. Time.
too funny!
This looks oh so good! Beautiful pictures girl! 🙂
LOL! I love you. <3
Oh, this sounds incredible! I love the sweet-and-savory combo. And you know what? No one will miss the Turkey!
i totally agree! besides, pumpkin pie is the real winner here, right? haha
Food poisoning on Thanksgiving? Now that’s rough! I love turkey but I will probably do small turkey breasts on the grill this year. I love the flavor combo in this dish. I bet it would be delicious even on turkey!
oh i’d so eat grilled! yea! that i like.
For thanksgiving definitely turkey, but roasted chicken is a winter favorite too. And food poisoning on Thanksgiving just sounds heartbreaking because it’s my favorite holiday! No bad memories please!
it was so bad. He can’t look at sweet potato casserole the same either. haha