The fall season is just around the corner. That means it’s time for warm home cooked meals like this delicious Asian roast chicken. The mixture of five spice and honey gives this chicken an amazing flavor and crispy texture the whole family will enjoy. Try this recipe and let me know what you think in the Chinese food forum. Enjoy!

4 lb young chicken

Basting Sauce:
½ cup honey
2 tsp hot water
1 tbsp salt
1 ½ tsp five spice powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.


2. Cut open the package surrounding the chicken. Pull out the bag of gizzards and the neck and discard, or save for another recipe. Rinse the entire chicken under cold running water inside and out. Then dry it thoroughly with paper towels.


3. Using your hand, slowly separate the skin from the breast meat on the chicken creating a “pocket.” Pushing the skin gently with your fingers will pull it away from the meat. Be careful not to rip the skin along the edges.


4. Once this pocket is formed, wash your hands thoroughly. Then in a small cup mix together the ingredients for the basting sauce and set this mixture aside.


5. Place a roasting rack inside a pan and the place the chicken breast side up on top of the rack. A great tip that will save time when cleaning up is to use foil to cover both the bottom of the pan and the rack itself. Cover the bottom of the pan completely so that none of the drippings will stick to it. Then, to cover the rack, simply place a piece of foil on top of it and fold over the outside edges. Use a sharp knife and cut slits in the foil between each of the racks rungs. Press the foil around each rung and then place the chicken on top.


6. Once the chicken is on the rack, use your hand to place some of the basting mixture inside the “pocket” between the skin and the breast meat. Then spread some of the mixture all over the top of the chicken.


7. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine, and then place it in the center of the oven.


8. Cook the chicken for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, basting it with the mixture every 15 to 20 minutes.


9. Make sure that the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165F. The best way to do this is to use a meat thermometer. I usually check it in two places, the inner part of the thigh, and in the breast.


10. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then cut it and serve. Makes about 3 servings.