Roasted Honey Cinnamon Stuffed Chicken

A roasted whole chicken filled with tons of flavor, literally! This meal is by far one of my favorites - from the tender, juicy chicken to the sautéed rice and bits of beef, topped with my favorite, slivered almonds, and served with a side of Mediterranean salad. Your whole family will be asking for this delicious meal!

Uh huh honey

Okay, so I know some of you may be thinking... Cinnamon and honey on chicken? No way I’d like that... Don’t turn away too fast! Let me tell you a little something about myself. I’m one picky eater! Ask anyone - I cannot just eat anything and I’m pretty annoying to go out to eat with, sometimes. I don’t like mixing sweet with salty... But this meal is just different. It’s not overwhelmingly sweet at all! The cinnamon literally accents the chicken so well and it doesn’t taste like you’re eating honey. This meal is something I’d never normally eat because of the ingredients, but it’s one of those things where I tasted it and my mind changed completely. If you’re anything like me, I promise you’ll love this meal if you give it a chance! It’s so delicious.

A recipe passed down through generations

The first time I’ve tried this recipe was at my husband’s family’s house and at first I was hesitant, but when I tasted it, I couldn’t stop eating it! Whenever my mother in law would have us over for dinner, I would request this dish from how delicious it was! This was one of my husband’s grandmother’s recipes, Allah yerhamha. A wonderful woman that I wish I had the chance to meet. It was passed down to my mother in law and now passed down to me, alhamdulillah. It’s so flavorful and mouthwatering, that I would love to share it with you all and you can taste just how great it really is for yourselves!

What you need

There are very minimal ingredients to this recipe! I tried making this meal with both a whole chicken and Cornish hens, and I have to say I love the Cornish hens more! Also, I would definitely make a side Mediterranean salad for this meal! It goes great.
  • 1 whole chicken (or 2-4 Cornish hens)
  • 1 lb extra lean ground beef
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter
  • 4 cups rice
  • Honey
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 cup slivered almonds or pinenuts
  • Cooking oil

The Method

You can definitely adjust the amount of rice and meat ratio along with the amount of honey and cinnamon you prefer! Just don’t put too little, otherwise you won’t taste it at all. With this meal, a little extra cinnamon and honey is better than too little. It only makes the meal taste better!
Prep Time: 20 m • Cook Time: 2 h • Servings: 4-6
Preheat Oven: 400°
  1. First things first - melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter in a big pot on med-high heat. Cook the ground beef and add about 1 tbsp of cinnamon, mix in well. Cook until done. Wash your rice well with lukewarm water until the water is clear of any starch, drain, and add to ground beef. Add salt and black pepper to taste, 3 tbsp more of cinnamon and 4 tbsp of honey. Sauté rice and beef for a few minutes, then cover with water as you normally cook rice. Taste the water to check if it needs anymore salt, black pepper, cinnamon, or honey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.
  2. As the rice is cooking, fry slivered almonds or pinenuts in your cooking oil until golden. When rice is finished, allow it to cool down completely. Then, mix in the almonds or pinenuts.
  3. Clean your chicken(s) very thoroughly (inside and out) and be sure to remove anything inside! Spice your chicken(s) with salt and black pepper, to taste (don’t under salt). Then, add 1 - 2 tbsp of cinnamon and honey per Cornish hen. If you’re making one whole chicken, then 2 - 4 tbsp of cinnamon and honey. Feel free to add more (the more the better, tbh)!
  4. Once rice is completely cooled down, stuff your chicken(s) as much as you’d like. You’ll probably use 2 cups rice per Cornish hen or 4 cups for a whole chicken.
  5. Melt the remaining 6 tbsp of butter and drizzle over chicken. Add a couple dashes more of cinnamon and drizzle a little more honey over chicken.
  6. Lastly, pour about a cup of water at the bottom of the pan and cover with foil. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Then, remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes to give it a crispy texture (check on it throughout that time to make sure it doesn’t burn).
  7. Remove from oven and enjoy with a spoonful of Mediterranean salad! Don’t forget to pour the juice from the pan over your chicken and rice (it’s absolutely delicious) and enjoy!

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