Take simple roast chicken to the next level with our beautiful Cherry Balsamic Roasted Chicken studded with fruit and fresh thyme. It’s fancy enough for a dinner party, but is a cinch to cook up on a weeknight!
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Roasted Chicken Recipe
- Balsamic Roasted Chicken Recipe Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Roasted Chicken with Cherries
- Roasted Chicken Recipe Tips
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More of Our Favorite Chicken Recipes
- Cherry Balsamic Roasted Chicken Recipe
This recipe is…
Cranberries and pomegranates always get a ton of holiday love with their bright flavors and beautiful color, but we think cherries are perfect for the winter time too! Fresh sweet cherries are only available for a relatively short time during the summer months, but while they’re in-season you can freeze, dry, or can cherries to enjoy their delicious flavor and health benefits year-round. This year, we decided to freeze our summer cherries, which makes them so easy to include in dishes like this one, and in smoothies, sauces, and desserts (cherry cheesecake or chocolate-covered cherries anyone?) year round.
We, of course, love cherries because of their wonderfully sweet taste, but did you know they’re also loaded with health benefits? Sweet cherries have a lower glycemic index than almost any other fruit, meaning that the sugars release slowly in your body, preventing a spike in your blood sugar. Cherries are also filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties! They contain ellagic acid, which has been shown to help fight cancer, anthocyanins, which shut down the enzymes that cause inflammation in the same way that ibuprofen does, and they contain melatonin, which can help to control your body’s internal clock and regulate your sleep patterns. A handful of sweet cherries or even a small glass of cherry juice is perfect for a pre-bedtime snack!
Now, let’s talk about this cherry balsamic roasted chicken. This dish sounds fancy, but is seriously simple – just the way we like it! First, we cover the roasted chicken with softened butter, thyme, salt, and pepper. Next, we add frozen pitted cherries to the pan that the cherries are roasting in, along with a bit of chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, then we put it all in the oven to cook. The end result is chicken with perfectly-crisp skin, alongside a cherry sauce that is just the right amount of sweet, tangy, and earthy.
This dish is simple enough that you can throw it together for a weeknight dinner. But it also makes a gorgeous presentation for holiday spread along with some sides like Hasselback Potatoes with Rosemary, Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe with Sour Cream, and The Best Winter Kale Salad with Lemon Cardamom Dressing.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Chicken Recipe
- A great way to dress up a simple roasted chicken – without a lot of extra fuss
- Only 15 minutes of prep
- Fancy enough for a holiday meal, but easy enough for a weeknight
Balsamic Roasted Chicken Recipe Ingredients
The flavors of dark cherries, balsamic vinegar, and thyme make an incredibly fragrant and deeply flavored chicken dish.. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Chicken – 1, 4-5 pound roasting chicken
- Butter – 3 tablespoons butter or ghee softened*
- Thyme – 1 teaspoon dried thyme, plus 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Salt – 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Black pepper – 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Cherries – 1 pound fresh or frozen pitted cherries (about 2 cups)
- Chicken broth – 1/2 cup chicken broth
- Vinegar – 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
Here are a few easy ways to make this recipe your own:
- Whole 30 compliant – to make this roasted chicken dish friendly to Whole 30 diet plans, swap in coconut oil or EVOO for the butter.
- Fresh v. frozen fruit – while we prefer to use fresh cherries for this recipe because they have a firmer texture, feel free to substitute frozen cherries instead. Either will give this dish bold cherry flavor!
How to Make Roasted Chicken with Cherries
Here’s how this warm and comforting roasted chicken dish comes together.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then place breast side up in a large cast iron or 2 quart casserole dish.
Step 2: In a small bowl, combine the butter, thyme, salt, and pepper. Once fully mixed, rub the butter mixture evenly over the chicken, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Step 3: Add the cherries, chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar around the chicken, then nestle the thyme sprigs into the cherries.
Step 4: Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the legs pull away easily and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 F.
Let rest for at least 10 minutes, then carve and serve alongside the cherries!
Roasted Chicken Recipe Tips
Whole chicken prep – There’s no need to rinse your chicken before cooking – this actually just spreads germs around your sink and kitchen counters. Truss the chicken by tying the legs together with kitchen twine (but don’t sweat this step if you don’t have kitchen twine on hand.) If you’re a fan of crispy skin, be sure to blot the moisture off the bird with paper towels before it gets buttered and seasoned.
Give it a rest! – After the chicken is out of the oven, let it cool for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. This will make the chicken easier to handle, and will allow the juices to redistribute – yielding juicier meat.
How to Serve
Let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes when it’s out of the oven to let the meat cool, and for the juices to redistribute. Then, slice and serve!
How to Store and Reheat
Store the chicken whole, covered with plastic wrap, or break the pieces down and store the breasts, legs, thighs, and wings in a large airtight container.
Reheat any leftover in a microwave, or reheat it in an oven with a little extra chicken broth to help prevent it from drying out.
Frequently Asked Questions
While you’ll see recipes that call for chicken to be roasted anywhere from 325 to 425 degrees, we think the sweet spot is 375. This yields a perfectly juicy chicken with crispy, browned skin.
You’ll know your chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees.
Sweet, gem-like cherries are loaded with health benefits. First off, these little fruits have a lower glycemic index than almost any other fruit, meaning that the sugars release slowly in your body – preventing blood sugar spikes.
Cherries are also filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties: They contain ellagic acid, which has been shown to help fight cancer, anthocyanins, which shut down the enzymes that cause inflammation in the same way that ibuprofen does. And they contain melatonin, which can help to control your body’s internal clock and regulate your sleep patterns. Just a handful of sweet cherries or even a small glass of cherry juice is perfect for a pre-bedtime snack!
More of Our Favorite Chicken Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Cherry Balsamic Roasted Chicken, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Cherry Balsamic Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 1, 4-5 pound roasting chicken
- 3 tablespoons butter or ghee, softened*
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound fresh or frozen pitted cherries, about 2 cups
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then place breast side up in a large cast iron or 2 quart casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the butter, thyme, salt, and pepper. Once fully mixed, rub the butter mixture evenly over the chicken, then tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Add the cherries, chicken broth, and balsamic vinegar around the chicken, then nestle the thyme sprigs into the cherries.
- Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the legs pull away easily and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 F.
- Let rest for at least 10 minutes, then carve and serve alongside the cherries!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Just wanted to drop a note to say that this was amazing and so so easy to make! I used cherry tomatoes instead of cherries (can’t find them where I live) and loved it. Perfect for leftovers too! Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it Linda!