Why This Recipe Works

Sweet honey, a prick of heat, and lots of butter sounded like a delicious combination to flavor chicken. Searing bone-in chicken pieces built a base of flavor and allowed us to pour off some of the fat to avoid a greasy sauce. Drizzling the pieces with a mixture of honey and tangy hot sauce gave them an appealing glossiness. The chicken juices mixed with the honey in the oven to create a sweet, hot pan sauce, and finishing the sauce with some butter added richness. Lime juice and scallions—added just before serving—contributed a welcome brightness.

Before You Begin

If you're using table salt instead of kosher, cut the amount in half.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine honey, hot sauce, and garlic in bowl; set aside. Combine salt and cumin in separate bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with salt mixture.

Heat oil in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate, skin side up.

Pour off fat from skillet. Return chicken to now-empty skillet, skin side up; pour honey mixture evenly over chicken. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register at least 175 degrees, 17 to 22 minutes. Let chicken rest in skillet for 10 minutes.

Transfer chicken to shallow platter. Bring juices in skillet to boil over medium-high heat (skillet handle will be hot). Cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk butter and lime juice into juices in skillet until butter is melted. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.