I like to get a Bell and Evans spatchcocked chicken. I generously salt it and I also sprinkle on Penzeys Greek seasoning all over. Try to let it sit for a while. In the meantime, I slice onions, shallots, carrots, garlic, even celery if I have it into a baking dish. I have already preheated the oven to 450. The chicken gets roasted this way for about 20 minutes then oven is turned to 375. When the chicken is crispy and browned I will have a little with chopped roasted cabbage and roasted butternut squash. This then all goes into the refrigerator and the next day, I saute a mirepoix and take the entire chicken with bones, all the coagulated juices, the onions and the cabbage and the butternut all goes into a dutch oven with chicken broth and fresh thyme and into a low oven of 300. This cooks for a few hours. The flavor and broth are outstanding. I freeze it in containers and will add chickpeas later. Great great winter soup.
Aubergine, I read the article you posted about Two Lemon Chicken then saw it won the competition in NJChicaa’s article, so I gave it a try.
Bought the smallest roasting chicken I could find, 4.8 pounds! Wow, it looked like a mini-turkey! When did chickens get so big?!
All I did was remove the gizzard/neck/heart, wash the chicken, let it dry and then gave it a dry rub of salt, pepper and a touch of Italian Herb mix I have. I half peeled the shiny part of the two lemons off and pierced them 20 or so times with the chicken stabby things you use to close off the back end of the bird, then I used said stabby things to pin the aft opening of the bird closed with the two lemons inside. Then I put the bird, breast down, in a pre-heated oven at 350 for 30 minutes, flipped the bird, checked it after another 30 minutes, turned the heat up to 410 and it was ready to go in 35 more minutes.
Crispy, very tasty, firm juicy flesh with just a hint of lemon and Italian Herb. Very nice bird!
I give the Two Lemons Chicken recipe a resounding Two Thumbs Up! It is good and simple, which is a nice combo.
As you can see, i had already taste tested the far leg on the chicken before i remembered to take the “after” photo.
I just quarter a lemon, place inside cavity. I no longer tie the legs together.
So simple, glad you tried and liked it. Cold leftovers are surprisingly good.
That bird is a thing of beauty. I usually “taste test” the crispy parts of both wings…
I always taste test as much crispy skin as I can get away with …
Next time I may try dry rubbing the bird while it is still wet from the washing instead of waiting for it to completely dry. I really liked the flavor of the skin from the top of the breast the best but the sides were only ok. The spice mix just did not stick very well to the dry sides, maybe if they were still damp…
And I may use a bit less of the Italian Herb mix. It is really good but I overdid it.
And I like the Aubergine’s idea of quartering a lemon instead of piercing it. I will try that too.
I would like to try cooking it with stuffing inside but I usually botch that so I will just do the stuffing in a pan, above or below the bird for 20 minutes.
I have a box of Aleias Stuffing that I almost used but figured it was just one too many variables for a first try at the Two Lemon recipe. I have not tried it and I am curious to see how it turns out. I like to use the gizzard, liver and the heart (minced up) in the stuffing so I do not waste much.
I thought he had some interesting takes on food prep and recipes, but I quit following him after his scandals came to light.
Ours became a planter.
I have been rinsing my meat since the dawn of time, and am alive to to report on this dangerous practice.
I don’t always do it, however - only when it’s extra gunky 
You may live in Sam’s Magic House, too!
I dont think lovely Sam ever had a thought at how long-lived and legendary his Magic House would become.
i hope all of his meals are delicious wherever he is.
How did you like the cold leftovers?
Speaking of small roasting chickens, it seems almost impossible to find smaller than 4.5 lbs.
I buy organic rotisserie chickens from WF (chop up, feed to my cat) and they are getting smaller and smaller. Most are about the size of healthy pigeons. I take the 2 biggest to other side of store to find a scale. Last time was only 2.2 lbs. I usually never find larger than 2.9.
Marcella specifies a 3.5 lb chicken. How come I can’t find small ones to roast??
same with “generic store” rotisserie chicken “biga-biga names” like Costco - for some reason they can “source” a 3 lb chicken, but everything at the chicken shelf is 4.5 - 7 pounds . . . .
I can get a 3 lb chicken from the SW meat counter (when in stock), but all packaged/branded ones (Foster Farms, etc.) are 4+ pounds
Leftover roast chicken or turkey never lasts long! I like both of them on whole wheat, preferably with stuffing, lettuce, tomato, some sort of cheese and a light smear of mayo. W/o stuffing works though not as well.
The one part i wish i could get more of is the skin. The two lemon chicken recipe was simple but it really resulted in a savory, crispy skin.
I was actually a bit surprised how fast the chicken disappeared. The last 8 or 10 birds i have roasted have been 13-15 pound turkeys and i usually froze a good sized Tupperware container of mixed white and dark meat from those bigger birds.
Some no-name, boutique butcher shop chickens are smaller, but often expensive. Maybe an Asian market like 99 Ranch. I don’t know if Mary’s is a nationwide brand, but around here their “cornish hens” are about 2 lbs, much bigger than, say, Perdue hens.
Are there independent butchers nearby? I can often find small chickens that weigh 1.5- 2lbs.
That’s impossible to find where I live.
Mary’s Chickens seem tend to be 3- 3.5# each depending on which line (heritage, air chilled ,organic)
