Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Easy Cherry Sauce

The secret to this easy Balsamic Roasted Chicken is the honey, mustard & balsamic marinade, which makes the meat unbelievably tender and juicy. Serve this easy roast chicken with my homemade cherry sauce for a festive Sunday lunch.

Whole Roasted chicken has pretty much become a staple in our home because it ticks all the boxes: it's very convenient and easy to cook, and it's much cheaper than buying separate chicken cuts.

We will usually roast the chicken on the weekend, eat the dark meat straight away (my favorite part!) and use the breasts during the week in salads or anything else we feel like eating.

Solal makes a chicken broth with the carcasses and it's to-die-for! With this particular balsamic roasted chicken recipe, I marinated the chicken overnight in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard and honey and it made the meat super tender.

This Balsamic Roasted Chicken is easy enough for a casual dinner, and delicious enough for company, especially if you serve it with this delicious homemade cherry sauce. It would be the perfect easy chicken recipe for your holiday gatherings. 

 While I really like the balsamic marinade, I am completely and utterly in love with this homemade cherry sauce. It has just the right amount of sweetness and you won't believe how quick and easy it is to make!

I've used frozen pitted cherries and in less than 15 minutes I had this beautiful dark red sauce ready. The color is so pretty I couldn't stop looking at it!

Some of the sauce was served with the balsamic roasted chicken (the flavors are a perfect match!) and I've drizzled the leftovers over my morning protein pancakes. So delicious! And made without any refined sugar, of course. But you knew I wouldn't use any, didn't you?

Enjoy!

If you tried this recipe for Balsamic Roasted Chicken, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest andFacebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

5 from 1 vote

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Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Easy Cherry Sauce

The secret to this easy Balsamic Roasted Chicken is the honey, mustard & balsamic marinade, which makes the meat unbelievably tender and juicy. Serve this easy roast chicken with my homemade cherry sauce for a festive Sunday lunch.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked, balsamic, cherry sauce, chicken, easy, festive, holidays, marinade, recipe, Roast, simple

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 382 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken 3-4 lbs / 1.3-1.8kg
• ⅔ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs optional

Easy Cherry Sauce

• 10 oz frozen pitted cherries 300 g
• 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in two tbsp water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ⅓ cup honey
• ⅓ cup water

Instructions

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken.

For the marinade:

1. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and honey. Place chicken in a large bowl or a large Ziplock bag and cover with marinade. If using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours (but overnight is best!). If you can, turn the chicken in marinade once or twice.

For the chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
2. Place one rosemary sprig in the chicken's cavity and arrange it in a large baking dish (do not toss the marinade). Roast for 1 hour to 1 ½ hours, or until chicken is cooked through, basting with marinade. Remove from the oven and place rosemary and thyme sprigs on the drumsticks.

For the cherry sauce:

1. While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine cherries, honey and ⅓ cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often. 

2. Add dissolved cornstarch. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly and cook until thickened (about 1 minute). Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice.

3. Serve with chicken.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition facts for the chicken alone:
Cal: 376 - Protein: 28.6g - Fat: 25.3g - Carbs: 7.7g - Fiber: 4.2g - Sugar: 2.8g 
WW Old Points: 9 pts - Points+: 9 pts 

Nutrition facts for the sauce alone:
Cal: 85 - Protein: 0.52 - Fat: 0.22g - Carbs: 22.2g - Fiber: 0.85g - Sugar: 19.9g 
WW Old Points: 2 pts - Points+: 2pts

Marinade recipe adapted from the "Christmas Cooking with the Weekly" cookbook from the Women's Weekly Magazine.

Nutrition Facts

Balsamic Roasted Chicken with Easy Cherry Sauce

Amount Per Serving (1 /6th (chicken + sauce))

Calories 382 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Cholesterol 80mg27%

Sodium 139mg6%

Potassium 355mg10%

Carbohydrates 32g11%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 28g31%

Protein 20g40%

Vitamin A 205IU4%

Vitamin C 6.5mg8%

Calcium 28mg3%

Iron 1.5mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.