The Secret To Beautifully Glazed Roast Chicken

THE lacquered look of a glazed roasted chicken may be alluring, but it can be a trial to execute well.

The sugar in glazes caramelizes in the oven, adding deep sweet-savory notes and intensifying browning. That is, unless the glaze drips off the football-shaped bird, as so many do, creating a sticky, scorched mess on your pan.

Our solution came in a well-tested technique for evenly roasting chickens: spatchcocking, or butterflying, which involves cutting out and discarding a bird’s backbone so it can be spread open and flattened.

This allows the chicken to cook and brown evenly, while also making it easier to spread on a glaze and have it stay put in the oven.

For this recipe from our book “COOKish,” which limits recipes to just six ingredients without sacrificing flavor, we make a simple glaze with fruity, tangy-sweet chutney mixed with butter for richness and turmeric for savoriness.