4 lb Whole chicken
1/2 c Fresh lemon juice; plus:
3 Whole lemons; including:
1 Lemon; sliced for garnish
1 tb Kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 ts Freshly ground pepper
FRESH HERBS FOR GARNISH:
4 Rosemary sprigs
4 Sage sprigs
8 Thyme sprigs
1 bn Flat-leaf parsley
As the story goes: In 1982, an editor in Glamour's fashion
department gave her assistant a recipe for the most delicious roast
chicken she'd ever tasted. The assistant then cooked this chicken
for her boyfriend, who proposed a month later. The assistant passed
the recipe along to three more staffers who, upon cooking it for
their partners also got engaged. The recipe was published in the
January 2004 issue of Glamour and Engagement Chicken was born.
The truth is, you can cook this chicken for or with whomever you
want. Whether you cook it with someone you love, whip it up for
dinner party, make it for your parents, or eat it by yourself while
watching Netflix, it's still a damn good recipe that's easy and
really, really good. Do with it what you will.
Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the
oven to 400 F. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken
inside and out with cold water, then let the chicken drain, cavity
down, in a colander for 2 minutes.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side
down in a medium roasting pan fitted with a rack and pour the lemon
juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken
all over with salt and pepper inside and out.
Prick 2 whole lemons three times each in three different places with
a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size
may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that's fine.
Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350 F,
and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from
the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast
side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, and return the
chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15
minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180 F and the juices run
clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if
necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary;
roasting a chicken at 350 F takes approximately 18-20 minutes per
pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here's the
secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced
chicken. Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.
