Honey Roasted Chicken & Radish

my favorite vegetable gets schmaltzy and caramelized

Radishes are easily my favorite vegetable. If we don’t have radishes in the fridge, in my mind, we’ve got nothing to eat. They first became important to me after I dropped out of college and found myself super broke, working three jobs, and living off the dollar menu at Jack in the Box. I’m pretty sure these days, the only item you can get for a dollar is two tacos. But this was almost 20 years ago when the dollar menu was flush with chicken nuggets, cheeseburgers, and fries. I desperately needed a vegetable in my life, and the radish fit right into my budget.

At that time, you could buy a fat bunch of radishes with perky tops for only one dollar. What a freakin’ deal! You can eat the bulbs raw, roasted, shaved into a slaw, pickled, seared, or sauteed. The tops can be steamed or sauteed like spinach, braised until silky like collards, blistered or massaged like kale, or minced like an herb into a pesto or salsa verde. For a while, they were the only thing I could afford to eat that didn’t come from a drive-through, and even now that I’ve got a fridge stocked with green market ramps and snap peas, I’ve always got a bunch of radishes around.

This recipe takes two big bunches of radishes, some chicken thighs, and one hour. In exchange, you’ll get a rich, sticky, super-satisfying dinner (only slightly more expensive than the current Jack In The Box value menu). When the bulbs roast in the spiced chicken fat, they grow tender and caramelized. While the chicken thighs rest, deglaze the sheet pan with vinegar and honey, then add the green tops and toss in all the drippings. The pictures do this dish no justice; just give it a shot. I bet you two tacos it’ll make the radish your favorite vegetable, too.

Honey Roasted Chicken & Radish 

serves 4 | active time: 20 minutes | total time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more (see note)

• 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika

• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 large bunches radishes (about 1 ½ pounds)

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 

• 2 tablespoon honey

• 2 tablespoons water

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1. In a small bowl, toss together salt, pepper, turmeric, and paprika. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season all over with the salt mixture. 

   • If you have time: Transfer the chicken to a plate or (preferably) a wire rack set into a baking sheet (if you have the room) and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

2. Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 325F. Arrange the chicken on a sheet tray, drizzle over the oil, and roast until some fat has rendered from the skin, they feel firm when gently pressed, and the meat around the edges looks opaque, about 20 minutes. (They’ll have an internal temperature between 140F to 150F.)

3. Meanwhile, wash radish bulbs and their tops. Cut the green tops off the bulbs and reserve. Halve the radish bulbs from stem to tail. 

4. Remove tray from oven and increase heat to 450F. While the oven reaches temperature, add radish bulbs to the tray. Roughly toss the radish bulbs in the chicken drippings with wooden spoon and arrange them all around the chicken, flat side down. 

5. Return to oven and roast until the chicken skin is browned and puffed, and the radishes are tender, shriveled, and browned underneath, 20 to 25 minutes. (The chicken’s internal temperature will be around 185F. That might seem high, but thighs can take the heat!)

6. Meanwhile, stir together the vinegar (or lemon juice), honey, and water. 

7. Once roasted, remove the chicken thighs to a platter to rest. Add the honey mixture to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits and toss the bulbs. Add the radish tops, season lightly with salt, and use tongs toss and coat in the drippings. Return to oven to roast until the greens have wilted and the drippings are bubbly, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve radishes, tops, and drippings with chicken. 

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Honey Roasted Chicken & Radish

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NOTES:

Need to make a smaller batch? Feel free to divide this recipe in half. Instead of cooking on a standard 13 by 18-inch half-sheet tray, use a quarter-sheet tray, a 9 by 13-inch metal baking dish, or a large stainless steel skillet. This ensures that your drippings don’t burn and everything cooks through at the same rate as the full recipe above. 

SALT: If using Morton’s kosher salt, reduce to 2 ½ teaspoons. If using table salt, reduce to 2 teaspoons. 

Can’t find radishes with tops? Use about ¾ pound of radish bulbs and use 1 bunch of kale in place of the tops. Strip the kale leaves from the stems and tear them into rough pieces.