Holiday: Entree
Christmas always makes me miss Hawai’i, and the sort of foods I crave at Christmas time usually reflect that. (If only I could find my old recipe for White Chocolate-Guava Cake…) Here’s an island-style alternative to turkey:
Huli-Huli Roasted Chicken with Lime-Honey Glaze
1 (2 to 3 lb.) free-range chicken
Salt and Pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup honey
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup lime jiuce
3 teaspoons light brown sugar
The traditional way to cook this is on a spit over a grill, but it can also be roasted in the oven on a regular roasting pan with a rack. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Loosen the skin on the breast and put the thyme and garlic under the skin. Combine the honey, soy sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Place the chicken on the rack of a roasting pan with one cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Roast for 1 1/2 hour or until chicken is done. Brush with the lime-honey glaze every five minutes or so while the chicken roasts. You can also baste the chicken with its own juices that will collect in the bottom of the pan to keep the meat moist and tender. Allow the chicken to stand for ten minutes before serving.
Serves 4.