A Southern Inspired Easter

April 10, 2009 |Sweet Bites

Easter is a time of renewal and new beginnings; the radiant colors of spring are everywhere around us! Celebrate nature’s glory by including brilliant hues into your Easter dinner. What could be better than a festive meal of Orange Blossom Honey-Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potato Puree. Although this recipe is lighter on calories than the average holiday dinner prepared below the Mason-Dixon line, it is sure to become a new Southern favorite. The floral tones of the honey-based glaze add a flowery sweetness that will awe your guests and ensure that the kids come back for more. Add a centerpiece of fresh flowers and a light dessert, and you will be guaranteed a holiday filled with fragrant flowers, flavorful food and laughter.

Orange Blossom Honey-Glazed Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potato Puree

Ingredients

  • 1 cup(s) orange blossom honey
  • 1/4 cup(s) chicken stock
  • 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter

Note: If orange blossom honey is not available, you can substitute clover honey.

Directions

  1. To prepare glaze: Place honey and chicken stock in a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup glaze for sweet potatoes and 1/3 cup for sauce.
  2. To prepare chicken: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place chicken in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper. Thoroughly brush chicken with glaze and roast 45 to 60 minutes, or until juices run clear. Brush on additional glaze every 15 minutes during roasting. Remove from oven, let rest 10 minutes, and carve.
  3. To prepare sweet potatoes: Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and bake alongside chicken for 45 minutes, or until soft. Remove skins and place sweet potatoes in a bowl with butter and 1/4 cup glaze. Using an electric mixer or hand masher, whip potatoes until smooth.
  4. To prepare sauce: Drain pan drippings from chicken and skim off the fat. Cook drippings and 1/3 cup reserved glaze in a small saucepan over medium heat 5 minutes, or until warm.
  5. Finishing Touches: Spoon some sweet potatoes on one side of each plate. Layer chicken slices in an overlapping pattern alongside potatoes, and spoon sauce over chicken.

Penny Pincher Sweet Bytes Tip

After you zest, what do you do with the lemon?

  1. Make lemonade.
  2. Freeze the lemon juice in cube trays. Bring them out for use in tea or recipes. Nothing beats the real taste of lemon, not that artificial stuff.
  3. Use half of a lemon to clean copper pots. Dip the cut side in baking soda and scrub away all of those stains

What are your ideas? I would love to hear your tips.