Recipes Ingredients Meat & Poultry Chicken Pomegranate Roasted Chicken This glazed chicken is an impressive addition to your holiday—or anyday—table. Close Credit: decorvow Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 55 mins Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Our pomegranate roast chicken features a simple glaze and easy pan-sauce and is just as appropriate for a special occasion as it is a weeknight dinner. All you’ll need to make the glaze is pomegranate juice, which has become much more widely available in recent years and has a sweet and tart flavor that becomes deeper and more concentrated when reduced on the stovetop. The chicken itself is seasoned with just salt and pepper and roasted until golden on the outside and moist and juicy inside. To reinforce the pomegranate notes, we add pomegranate arils, or seeds, and fresh thyme to the pan sauce before serving. How Roasting Is Different From Baking—and Why It Matters Tips for Roasting a Whole Chicken Let it temper: A whole chicken, or really any protein, cooks more evenly when it has been brought to room temperature first. Let yours sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour before seasoning and roasting. Tie the legs: To help the chicken keeps its shape while roasting, it's helpful to tie the legs together with kitchen twine. If you don't have kitchen twine handy, you can still truss the bird by cutting a slit into the excess fat on each side of the cavity. Working with one leg at a time, pull the end of the leg through the slit in the fat on the opposite side, criss-crossing the legs, to keep them close to the body. Let it rest: Giving your bird a chance to rest after cooking will allow the meat to relax and the juices to redistribute throughout the chicken. Allow at least 10 minutes of resting time before carving. Depending on where you shop, pomegranate juice may be located on a shelf in the center of the store with the other juices or in a refrigerated case. Directions Reduce pomegranate juice; heat oven: Heat pomegranate juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup. Set aside. Meanwhile, let the chicken come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450°F. Season and truss chicken; place in skillet: Brush chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper. Tie legs and transfer to a large ovenproof skillet. Roast chicken; glaze and let rest: Roast chicken, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and brush with reduced pomegranate juice; let stand 10 minutes. Deglaze skillet; finish sauce and serve with chicken: Deglaze skillet over medium heat with stock, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced by half. Strain fat. Add thyme and pomegranate seeds. Serve with chicken. Storing and Reheating Cooked chicken can be refrigerated for three to four days in an airtight container. Reheating Reheat chicken in a skillet, in the oven, or in an air-fryer until meat is heated through and skin is crispy. You can also use leftover chicken in salads, soups, sandwiches, and pasta dishes. More Pomegranate Recipes to Try: Eggplant, Pistachio, and Pomegranate Pizza Pomegranate-Braised Short Ribs Pomegranate-Coconut Trifle Pomegranate Relish Pomegranate-Bulgur Salad Roasted Vegetables With Pomegranate Vinaigrette Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.