Author Notes
There's nothing much to this recipe other than the fact that it is totally simple and totally delicious. The trick is cooking the bird breast side down so the tender dark meat on top gets crusty and delicious, while the typically dry white meat braises in the drippings to melt-in-your-mouth perfection. —lisina
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Ingredients
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1
4-5 pound organic roaster chicken
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1
head of garlic
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1
lemon
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olive oil
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salt and pepper
Directions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees convection.
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Rinse out your bird, removing any parts from the cavity. Pat as dry as possible.
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Cut your lemon into quarters, and your head of garlic in half, exposing the cloves (hamburger style). Stuff the lemon and garlic pieces into the cavity. I do not truss the bird.
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Place the bird breast side down into a roasting pan or gratin dish. It is important to choose a pan that is not much larger than the bird. The key to this recipe is for the juices to pool up around the white meat allowing it to braise.
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Drizzle the chicken with a bit of oilve oil and rub it generously with salt and fresh ground pepper to your liking.
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Place the chicken in the oven. The chicken will roast for an hour and a half, basting occasionally.The skin should be dark golden and crispy. If you are multiplying this recipe, add approximately 10 minutes of cook time for each additional bird.
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Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes before carving. The white meat will come away from its skin--ladle it immediately with pan juices so it stays tender and moist.
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Serve the carved bird with the pan drippings.
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