Roasted Honey-Mustard Chicken Legs
Servings: 4
This not-too-sweet chicken will please adults and kids alike. The slits in the chicken help it to cook faster and more evenly and also make it look dramatic. Pair it with French Butter-Lettuce Salad.
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken legs (about 3 lb. total)
- Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbs. whole-grain mustard
- 1 Tbs. apple-cider vinegar
- 1-1/2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Place the chicken legs skin side up on a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, make 4 parallel slashes through the skin and meat of each leg, stopping when you hit bone. Season all over with 1-1/2 tsp. salt.
- Put the chicken in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Whisk the honey, mustards, vinegar, tamari, and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour over the chicken, and turn to coat. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 450°F. Place a rack over a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
- Reserving the marinade, put the chicken skin side up on the rack. Roast until golden brown and a thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of the legs registers 165°F, rotating the baking sheet halfway through roasting so that the chicken browns evenly, 35 to 45 minutes. If the chicken is browning too much, tent loosely with aluminum foil.
- Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil over medium heat, stirring and scraping the side of the pan occasionally; boil for 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve the chicken with the sauce.