Roast chicken with two lemons

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 Chicken (3-4 lb)
Salt and pepper
2 smalls Thin-skinned lemons washed well and dried

Directions

Note: Don't add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting.

Try not to puncture the skin at any time during cooking; if kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon. Keep any leftovers moist with some of the cooking juices and eat them at room temperature.

1. Preheat oven to 350øF. Thoroughly wash chicken inside and out in cold water. Remove any bits of loose fat. Let stand on a slightly tilted plate for about 10 minutes so that all the water drains out.

Pat dry all over.

2. Season chicken generously inside and out with salt and pepper; rub in the seasonings.

3. Set the lemons on a counter and roll them back and forth, pressing with your palm. Using a sturdy round toothpick or a fork, puncture each lemon in at least 20 places.

4. Place both lemons in the cavity of the chicken. Seal the opening with toothpicks; close it well, but don't make it airtight because the chicken might burst. Run kitchen string from one leg to the other and tie it at the knuckle ends; the string serve only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin.

5. Set the chicken breast side down in a roasting pan. Place it in the upper third of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken over onto its back and cook for another 30-35 minutes.

6. Turn the oven up to 400øF and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

(Calculate between 20-25 minutes total cooking time per pound.) Whether or not the chicken has puffed up, bring it to the table whole and leave the lemons inside until it is carved. The juices that run out are delicious, so be sure to spoon them over the chicken.

Fine Cooking November 1995

Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 11-01-95

Related recipes