Pomegranate Chicken

A whole roasted chicken stuffed with lime, onion, bay leaf, and rosemary is basted with a sweet and sour pomegranate reduction.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 572 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 (4 pound) whole chicken
• ½ small onion
• 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, divided
• 2 cups pomegranate juice
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 2

Stir pomegranate juice, brown sugar, vinegar, and garlic together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard garlic, then stir in lime juice and let cool 5 minutes. Set aside 6 tablespoons pomegranate syrup.

Step 3

Poke several holes in lime with a fork and insert into chicken cavity along with onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, bay leaf, pepper, and rosemary. Tie legs together with kitchen string, sprinkle skin with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, then transfer chicken, breast side up, to a roasting pan.

Step 4

Roast chicken, basting with pomegranate syrup every 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest parts of all pieces registers 165 degrees F, about 1 hour total. Let chicken rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve drizzled with reserved pomegranate syrup.