Elderflower-Glazed Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables
Roast chicken brushed with a fragrant elderflower and lemon glaze, served with tender spring vegetables for a light, floral take on a classic Sunday roast.
Elderflower may be best known in sweet drinks, but its honeyed, muscat-like fragrance also makes a gorgeous glaze for roast chicken. Brewed strong and reduced with lemon and a little honey, it caramelizes into a glossy, floral coating that keeps the meat moist and lightly perfumed. Be sure to use only the flowers — never the elder's stems, leaves, or green berries, which are toxic.
The trick is to build the glaze in layers. Strong elderflower tea reduced with honey, lemon juice, and a touch of butter creates a balanced sweet-and-sour brush that turns golden in the oven without burning. Painting it on in the last stretch of roasting gives the skin a beautiful sheen.
Roasting tender spring vegetables alongside the bird lets them soak up the floral pan juices. Baby carrots, asparagus, and new potatoes work especially well, their natural sweetness echoing the elderflower without competing with it.
Serve this as a light, fragrant alternative to a heavy roast — perfect for a relaxed spring lunch. A crisp green salad and crusty bread to mop up the glaze are all you need to round it out.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg)
- 3 cups strong elderflower tea (4 tbsp dried blossoms or 5 tea bags in 3 cups water)
- 2 tbsp honey
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 400 g new potatoes, halved
- 200 g baby carrots
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh thyme sprigs
How to make it
- 1Brew elderflower tea strong and let it cool slightly. Reduce 3 cups in a saucepan to about 3/4 cup over medium heat (10–12 minutes).
- 2Stir honey, lemon juice and zest, and butter into the reduction until glossy. Set the glaze aside.
- 3Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Rub the chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, and thyme, and place in a roasting pan.
- 4Toss potatoes, carrots, and asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and arrange around the chicken.
- 5Roast for 50 minutes, then brush the chicken generously with the elderflower glaze and return to the oven for 20–25 minutes more, brushing once more, until the internal temperature reaches 75°C (165°F).
- 6Rest the chicken 10 minutes, drizzle any remaining glaze over the vegetables, and serve.
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