Sticky Glazed Christmas Chicken
Everybody loves the glaze on a Christmas ham. So one year, I tried using one version on chicken and people went mad over it! Easier and cheaper than ham, with a much higher ratio of glaze to meat, this is so good I’ve actually had people tell me they love this chicken more than Christmas ham!! It’s ultra-sticky on the outside, and just smells and tastes like Christmas. The flesh of the chicken is super tender and infused with flavours from an overnight marinade! This is a great alternative to turkey for a Christmas main dish. That sticky holiday season glaze is finger lickin’ good!
What goes in Sticky Glazed Christmas Chicken
Basically everything you put into a Brown Sugar Ham Glaze is used for this Christmas Chicken marinade – it’s loaded with Christmas flavours!
Chicken – Use bone-in, skin on thighs and drumsticks. We need the skin to make the chicken sticky in the oven, and the bone helps keep the meat juicy (and giving the cute impression of a “mini-ham”!!) If you insist on using skinless, boneless thighs or breast, see recipes notes for how to make it (it involves simmering the glaze to reduce it then basting);Oranges – We use the zest and juice in the marinade for a subtle hint of citrus flavour – more holiday nuances! Don’t skip the zest by using bottled orange juice instead. Zest really brings an extra-special fresh touch to this dish;Spices – Cinnamon, allspice, ginger and whole star anise – four common holiday spices;Brown sugar – For wonderful caramel flavours, this is what makes the chicken sticky;Dijon Mustard and vinegar – These provide the tang in the marinade to balance the sweetness. The mustard also thickens the glaze slightly so it clings to the chicken better; andOlive oil – For a touch of richness to the glaze. Though any type of (reasonably neutral) oil will do the job fine here.
How to make Christmas Chicken
The making part involves a 24 hour marinade to really get all those wonderful Christmas flavours infused into the flesh before roasting in the oven until it becomes sticky and golden. Glaze adjustment: The trick with any glazed or sticky chicken is getting the timing right, so the pan juices reduce and become syrupy in the time it takes for the chicken to cook through inside. There’s a lot of variables that affect this – oven strength, chicken size, tray size, and also economical chicken can be pumped with brine which makes then leech more liquid = more water to evaporate before it becomes a glaze. The good news is, the fix is easy! The chicken will be cooked at 50 minutes. If the tray juices are still too thin, just take the chicken off the tray then pop the empty tray back in. The tray juices will take minutes to reduce into a syrup. Once it does, baste, baste, baste! The flavour of this Christmas Chicken really is reminiscent of a glazed ham! Except, well, you know. Chicken, instead of ham. 😂 😂 But WAY more sticky glaze to go around than the sliver you get on each slice of ham (if any at all!).
What to serve with Christmas Chicken
I’m sharing this with Christmas time in mind, but I really do think this is a great one for all year round! Because the glaze is quite intensely flavoured, try it with a light, refreshing side salad, such as a Spring Salad (asparagus, peas, snow peas, lettuce), a French Bistro Salad or for something a little more substantial, this Bean Tabbouleh Salad. For proper Christmas menu suggestions as well as my best Christmas side dishes, take a guided tour through my collection in my Christmas Recipes & Menus post. Otherwise, browse through my Christmas Recipes Collection at your leisure, newly organised by category to make it nice and easy for you to get your Christmas event planned and pulled-off! I’d love to know what you think if you give this a try! Does it remind YOU of Christmas ham?? 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Life of Dozer
More photos from the weekend when our local dog photographer (Kevin from Unleashed Northern Beaches) was down at the dog beach doing Christmas photos! He brought some props down including this little green hat. So first, he got this photo….then….. …. Dozer lost the hat in deep water which required a rescue mission by yours truly, so THIS happened: And I wasn’t wearing my swimming costume on that day!! Ba ha ha!
