You're going to obsess over this incredible Christmas Chicken, friend. It's insanely juicy, flavored with oranges, apple cider, herbs, and maple syrup in a sweet and savory brine and glaze that is a stunning centerpiece to your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. This maple-orange chicken is so craveable, everyone will want the recipe (and seconds!)
And just like that, my loves...We are autumnal.
It's The Greatest Time of Year for me: sweater weather, apples and pumpkins and fall festivals in our small town, the lovely Amish vendors at our farmers' market bring out the warm apple cider and hot chocolate and their amazing apple fritter bread.
We've been eating savory pot roast and mashed potatoes, drinking cinnamon-ginger tea, enjoying cinnamon rolls...it's been a small bit of slow luxury after the back to school rush and weeknight family meals.
Speaking of, let's talk about the ultimate comforting family meal: chicken. It's a staple but if you don't know how to jazz it up it can get boring, right?
A juicy roast chicken for Christmas? How do you make it special enough, you know? Holiday-y enough?
This recipe is one that I had whipped up for several of our holiday meals as newlyweds in the military: affordable chicken soaked and roasted in oranges, apple cider, and maple syrup. It sounded crazy, but it's juicy and so flavorful, it's a recipe my family asks for every fall.
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The Best Holiday Roast Chicken Dinner!
This chicken is hands down one of my all-time favorites. It's easy to do, no hard steps or fancy techniques. We make a brine, we brine overnight, and roast and brush on glaze. Simple, right? But the results taste like something from the fanciest restaurant!
First is the brine: you're soaking this bird in a brine that just tastes like the holidays. Apple cider and orange juice, maple syrup and peppercorn and clove. Don't even think that it's going to be weirdly sweet, though. It's not! But that hint of maple, the citrus and apple flavors, they all give great flavor and juiciness throughout the chicken.
And I do mean juicy. Just like my dry brined turkey, you're going to be SHOCKED at how much juice is in there when you start carving.
Then we roast, brushing on the same flavors with hints of sage and thyme in clarified butter. And before it's finished in the oven, that baby gets glazed in an orange-maple-apple cider glaze to really bring forth those warm flavors to our Christmas feast.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For the Brine
- Whole Chicken - this recipe calls for a 4-5 pound chicken.
- Apple Cider - use unsweetened apple cider. No spices, either. Straight up apple cider!
- Black Peppercorns and Cloves - we don't want too many cloves, it is a powerful spice but that robust warmth it brings? It's such a must for me.
- Kosher Salt
- Oranges - I used the juices and the orange zest to really amp up the orange flavor.
- Maple Syrup - use real maple syrup, not the pancake syrup.
For Roasting
- Oranges and Apples - we're stuffing the bird with these and making a little bed for the chicken to sit on.
- Fresh Herbs - because it's the holidays, I grabbed the sage with oregano and thyme. The smell of sage is the smell of Thanksgiving and Christmas! I didn't use rosemary because it can be overpowering, especially when infusing fats.
- Clarified Butter - clarified butter doesn't have the solids and proteins whole butter does so it has a higher smoke point while still letting us indulge in that buttery flavor.
- Maple Syrup, Orange Juice, Apple Cider - these whisk together and reduce in a pan to make a seriously amazing glaze that gives our holiday chicken the most beautiful burnished reddish-orange color.
How to Make Roast Christmas Chicken
Step 1 | Brine the chicken covered in a large bowl overnight. This will really season the chicken well and the meat will soak in all those autumnal flavors.
Step 2 | The next day, we need to allow the chicken to come to room temperature before we roast it. Meanwhile, infuse that clarified butter with some of our fresh herbs and a pinch of salt, just keeping the heat on low and letting those herbs snap, crackle, and pop for about 5-10 minutes.
Step 3 | Fill the cavity with apple and orange quarters and the rest of the fresh herbs, then truss up the legs. Make a little bed in your roasting pan with the rest of the oranges and apples, then place the chicken right on top of them. Generously brush on the infused butter, get into every nook and cranny, on those legs, in the chicken armpit, and all over the top of the chicken.
Step 4 | While the chicken roasts we will reduce the apple cider, maple syrup, and orange juice with a little salt to make the glaze for our chicken.
Step 5 | Roast the chicken for 45 minutes. It should be nowhere near done, but at this point we are going to start brushing on that reduced glaze every 15 minutes as it roasts for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Step 6 | Remove from the oven and let it rest. Your chicken is done roasting when you temp it at 160 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh (don't touch the bone with the thermometer). It'll continue to rise 5-10 degrees as it rests for about 15 minutes.
Step 7 | Present and serve with sides.
What to Serve for the Best Christmas Chicken Dinner
Chicken goes great with just about any side dish, but during the holidays we're looking at...
- ...some scalloped potatoes, right? Or roasted potatoes.
- Classic holiday sides like cranberry sauce, baked mac and cheese, a great holiday gravy.
- Some bread like garlic butter rolls or sister schubert style rolls.
- Greens like crispy parm broccoli, slow cooked greens beans, air fried root veggies are perfect matches here.
- It you want to add some soul food, the flavors go great with collard greens and candied yams.
Variations and Pro Tips for a Perfect Roast Chicken
- Don't want to roast a whole chicken? Try doing this with chicken thighs instead -- the cook time will change: they'll only take about an hour to cook! I love some chicken thighs, y'all.
- Keep the carcass for chicken broth, y'all!
- Notice the chicken getting a little too brown too fast? Cover the area with foil so it doesn't burn.
Storage and Reheating
Carve the cooked chicken and save the leftover chicken pieces in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the microwave until warmed through, or in the oven wrapped with foil on a baking sheet at 325 for 15 minutes until warmed through.
Equipment
- Large Bowl for brining
- Saucepan for the glaze
- Meat thermometer - this is my favorite instant read thermometer.
- Butcher's Twine for trussing the chicken
- Roasting Pan - I used an enamel cast iron braiser since it holds heat well and there's a lot of movement in this recipe (opening the oven and glazing the chicken).
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
FAQs
This answer really depends on chicken size and the oven temperature, though it'll take just under 2 hours to roast a 4.5 pound chicken as in this recipe. This is why I always say to use a meat thermometer! Your chicken will be done at 165 degrees F in the thigh and the juices run clear.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes
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Roast Christmas Chicken
Ingredients
Apple Cider Brine
- 6 cups hot water
- 3 cups apple cider, unsweetened and unspiced
- ½ cup real maple syrup
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
- peel of one orange, no pith
- 2 tablespoon black peppercorns, whole
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 whole chicken, 4-5 pounds
Herb Infused Butter
- ½ cup clarified butter, also known as ghee
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sprigs fresh sage
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
Stuffing the Chicken
- 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
- 2 apples, cut into eighths
- 2 navel oranges, cut into eighths
- 3 sprigs fresh sage, the exact amount isn't important
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, the exact amount isn't important
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Orange Maple Glaze
- ¼ cup orange juice, from that peeled orange
- 1 cup apple cider, unsweetened and unspiced
- ¼ cup real maple syrup
- a pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
Brine the Chicken
- In a large bowl, whisk together the water, apple cider, maple syrup, salt, brown sugar, orange peels, black peppercorns, cloves, and ice. Whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved.6 cups hot water, 3 cups apple cider, ½ cup real maple syrup, 1 cup kosher salt, ⅔ cup dark brown sugar, peel of one orange, 2 tablespoon black peppercorns, 5 whole cloves, 1 cup ice cubes
- Place the chicken into the brine, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.1 whole chicken
Next Day
- Remove the chicken from the brine and pat it dry. Remove any cloves or peppercorn that might've gotten stuck on the chicken. Let it come to room temperature and dry out for one hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ (180℃) with a rack in the center of the oven.
Make the Infused Butter
- While the chicken is coming to room temperature, melt the ghee with the herbs over medium low heat in a small saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes, let the herbs kinda frizzle up and pop in the pan, this means it's infusing! Set aside for later.½ cup clarified butter, 2 sprigs fresh sage, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Stuff, Truss, and Butter the Chicken
- Season the inside of the chicken cavity with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, then stuff the bird with the shallot, some of the apple and orange slices, and the rest of the fresh herbs.1 shallot, 2 apples, 2 navel oranges, 3 sprigs fresh sage, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Truss the chicken legs with butcher twine and tuck the wings if needed. Put the rest of the orange and apple slices into your roasting pan, then place the bird onto the bed of fruit.
- Use a silicone basting brush to cover the chicken in the infused butter you made. Get every nook and cranny, you'll want to use all the butter.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Roast and Glaze the Chicken
- While it's roasting, make the glaze in a small saucepan by reducing the orange juice, apple cider, and maple syrup over medium heat for about 15 minutes until it is at a lively simmer. Whisk occasionally so the sugars don't risk burning at the bottom. Once the glaze has reduced by half, remove it from heat.¼ cup orange juice, 1 cup apple cider, ¼ cup real maple syrup, a pinch of kosher salt
- At the 45 minute mark, use the basting brush to coat the chicken in the glaze. Put it back into the oven for another 50 to 60 minutes, brushing on the glaze every 15 minutes, until the chicken is done roasting. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the thickest part of the chicken thigh (avoid the bone). Aim for 165℉ (74℃).
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving to redistribute the juices. If you carve it immediately, all the juices will run out.
Recipe Notes
Variations and Pro Tips for a Perfect Roast Chicken
- Don't want to roast a whole chicken? Try doing this with chicken thighs instead -- the cook time will change: they'll only take about an hour to cook! I love some chicken thighs, y'all.
- Keep the carcass for chicken broth, y'all!
- Notice the chicken getting a little too brown too fast? Cover the area with foil so it doesn't burn.
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