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Cranberry Maple Roast Chicken

Cranberry maple roast chicken with lacquered golden, maple-Dijon glazed skin and juicy meat. Roasted until the thigh hits 165F, then served with a spoonable cranberry pan sauce.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
resting 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken and seasoning
  • 1 whole chicken 5 pounds, patted dry
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp butter softened
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 orange halved
  • 1 garlic 1 head, halved crosswise
  • 1 red onion cut into wedges
Cranberry maple glaze and pan sauce
  • 2 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1 3rd cup maple syrup 1/3 cup
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 2nd cup chicken broth 1/2 cup

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Roast and season
  1. Preheat oven to 425F and position a rack in the center for even browning, looking for a fully heated oven before the chicken goes in.
  2. Pat the whole chicken dry, then season inside and out with salt and black pepper and rub the softened butter mixed with chopped rosemary under and over the skin for an even coating.
  3. Stuff the cavity with orange halves and halved garlic, then set the chicken in a roasting pan and tuck red onion wedges around it so the vegetables roast alongside the bird.
First roast with lacquered browning
  1. Roast at 425F for 50 minutes until the skin is starting to turn golden, watching for an active simmer of juices in the pan.
Maple-Dijon glaze and cranberry roast
  1. Whisk maple syrup and Dijon mustard, then brush half over the chicken for a glossy start.
  2. Add fresh cranberries and chicken broth to the pan for a bubbling cranberry base, then return to the oven.
  3. Roast 25-30 minutes more, brushing with the remaining glaze once during the final stretch, until the thigh reaches 165F as the cue for doneness.
Rest, carve, and serve
  1. Rest the chicken for 15 minutes so juices settle and the glaze stays lacquered, keeping it tented loosely.
  2. Carve the chicken and spoon the cranberry pan sauce over the top so each serving gets cranberries and maple-Dijon gloss.

Notes

Pro tip: patting the chicken very dry helps the skin crisp and the maple-Dijon glaze cling. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze carved chicken (with some sauce) up to 2 months—reheat gently to avoid drying out. For a gluten-free variation, ensure Dijon mustard is labeled gluten-free; otherwise, the recipe is naturally gluten-free.