Cornbread-Crusted Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• ½ medium onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 4 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup Dijon or whole-grain mustard
• 1 Tablespoon dried sage
• 1 Tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 cups cornbread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1 whole (4-pound) chicken
• Nonstick cooking spray

Materials

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Small mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• 9-by-13-inch baking dish
• Mixing spoon
• Paper towels
• Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Rinse and roughly chop onion and celery.
3. Peel and mince garlic.
4. In a small bowl, combine honey, mustard, sage, thyme and minced garlic. Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, toss cornbread crumbs and oil. Set aside.
6. Put chicken on cutting board, breast side up. Remove wings by snapping the wing joint and sliding a sharp knife through the joint. Turn chicken over. Cut the skin down the length of the back. Pull off skin (you can use paper towels to help you get a grip on the skin). Turn chicken back over. Pull off skin on breast side and from legs and thighs. Cut off any other excess fat left on chicken.
7. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken in dish. Stuff the cavity with onion and celery. Pat surface of chicken dry with paper towels.
8. Pat mustard mixture all over chicken. Press cornbread crumbs into the mustard mixture on chicken.
9. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone registers 165 degrees F. This could take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes. Cover chicken loosely with foil if crumbs start to brown too quickly.
10. Carefully transfer roasted chicken to a clean cutting board. Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard onion and celery. Cut into serving pieces.

Chef’s Notes

• For a quicker chicken dish, use boneless skinless chicken breasts. You won’t need the onion or celery. Start with 4 large chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total). Trim fat and cut in half diagonally. Coat chicken in mustard mixture then cover in cornbread crumbs. Place in a 9-by-13- inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about 40 to 50 minutes.
• Make your own cornbread to use in this recipe. Try Confetti Pepper Cornbread, leaving out the peppers.
• If you already have it on hand, you can use ½ cup prepared honey mustard instead of making your own in Step 4.
• Use the chicken carcass and cut-off wings to make chicken broth. Place in a large pot. Cover with water by a couple of inches. Simmer for 1 hour. Use a colander to strain. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate or freeze.