This is an absolutely delicious dish from The New York Times cooking site. Blanch lemon quarters and make a citrus-honey-mustard marinade. Marinate the lemon, chicken, carrots, onions, dates and thyme, preferably overnight. Then dump the whole mixture onto a baking sheet and roast. Remove the chicken pieces are they are cooked, leaving the carrots for a few minutes longer to make sure they are cooked through. Delicious served with couscous.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use freshly squeezed orange juice and a mustard with no additives or preservatives; I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon. Dates often contain sulfites, but you can find ones that are all-natural.

After marinating, arrange chicken and vegetables on a baking sheet and roast

Sweet and spicy roast chicken

Ingredients:

1 lemon, plus 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ½ teaspoons (12.5 ml) kosher salt, more for pot

3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice

4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) whole grain mustard

3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey

1 bay leaf

½ to 1 teaspoon (2.5 to 5 ml) crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1 4-pound (1.8 kg) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

3 cups (750 ml) sliced carrots (¼-inch/0.6-cm thick)

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

⅔ cup (165 ml) sliced dates

1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh thyme leaves

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish

2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped toasted pistachio nuts, for garnish

Preparation:

Quarter the lemon lengthwise, removing any seeds. Thinly slice crosswise into small wedges and add to small pot of boiling, salted water. Blanch for 2 minutes and drain. Reserve slices.

In a saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, oil, mustard, honey, salt, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool.

Put chicken in a bowl and add honey mixture. Add carrots, onion, dates, thyme and blanched lemon slices. Turn mixture several times to coat. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat oven to 425 degrees F (210 C). Transfer all ingredients, including marinade, to a sheet pan with a rim. Chicken should be skin side up. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes for breasts and 30 to 40 for legs and wings (remove the pieces as they are done cooking). When the chicken is done, give the carrot mixture in the pan a stir; if the pan looks dry add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Continue roasting the carrots until they are tender, about 7 to 12 minutes longer.

Spoon carrots over chicken and top with cilantro, scallions and pistachio nuts. Serves 4-6.

From the New York Times