Honey-Orange Roast Chicken

I survived another tax season, hallelujah! Now it's time to catch up on work that got put on the back burner during our crazy time and catch up on household chores.  I have some sewing projects lined up, two cross-stitched pieces to get finished, gardening to do, and an outdoor patio furniture piece to be constructed/painted that involves an old door. So many projects, so little time!

I've longed to be in the kitchen and to have a home-cooked meal.  My first day off after April 15 involved hopping on a flight to Las Vegas and meeting up with my son for a divisional drag race.  Home-cooked meals were not a happening there; we ate turkey sandwiches from an ice chest and had to find a restaurant each night for dinner. Once home I had so many things to do that I knew spending a lot of time in the kitchen just wasn't going to fit into my timeline.  So I went to what always works in a pinch, a good old-fashioned roast chicken with vegetables. I adapted this recipe from two that I found online and it worked very well.  I love anything with orange in it and the addition of honey added a nice sweetness to it.  I especially liked the carrots with the orange/honey flavor. This recipe will definitely be made again!

Honey-Orange Roast Chicken

1 3/12 pound whole broiler-fryer chicken
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 shallot, sliced
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup chicken broth, divided
8 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
1/2 pound green beans
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Rinse chicken cavity; pat chicken dry with paper towels. Skewer neck skin to back; tie legs to tail.  Place chicken in a shallow roasting pan.  Brush with butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.  Distribute carrots in pan; roast another 1/4 to 3/4 hour or until drumsticks move easily in sockets and chicken is no longer pink (180 degrees F).  Combine honey and orange zest; brush chicken with half the mixture.  Roast about 5 minutes more or until the chicken has a golden brown glaze.

Remove chicken from pan and tent with foil.  Transfer roasting pan to stove top. Add shallots, orange juice, 1/4 cup chicken broth, remaining honey, and green beans. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until juices thicken slightly and the vegetables are tender. Add lemon slices to pan and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes more or until heated through.

Remove vegetables from pan.  Combine cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth.  Stir into liquid mixture; stir until thickened.  Serve the thickened sauce with the chicken.