Smoked Whole Chicken with Charred Citrus & Herby Drippings

Ingredients

• 1 hot honey whole chicken

• 1 orange, halved

• 1 lemon or lime, halved

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• ½ cup chicken stock (or water, for deglazing)

• 2 tbsp cold butter

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley or cilantro

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill, smoker, or oven

• For smoking: Heat to 275–300°F using a fruitwood like apple or cherry.

• For oven roasting: Preheat to 400°F.

2. Prep the bird

• Pat chicken dry with paper towels (to encourage browning), but don’t remove the marinade entirely.

• Stuff the cavity with one half of the orange and one half of the lemon/lime.

• Tie legs loosely with kitchen twine and tuck wings under.

3. Roast or smoke

• Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan or on your smoker grates, breast-side up.

• Add remaining citrus halves to the pan, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil.

• Roast or smoke until skin is caramelized and internal temp hits 160°F in the breast and 175°F in the thigh (about 75–90 minutes). Let rest 10–15 minutes (carryover cooking will finish it).

4. Make the pan sauce

• Remove chicken to a board. Place the roasting pan over medium heat (or transfer drippings to a saucepan).

• Squeeze in the roasted citrus halves. Deglaze with chicken stock, scraping up browned bits.

• Reduce slightly, then swirl in cold butter and chopped herbs. Season to taste.

5. Serve

• Carve chicken. Spoon herby citrus pan sauce over top. Serve with roasted sweet potatoes, grilled veg, or warm flatbread to mop up the juices.