Roasted Lemon Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs roasting chickens
2 small lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (reduce by at least half if using dried thyme)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced (reduce by at least half if using dried thyme)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Garnish
fresh parsley sprig

Preparation

Remove the giblets from the chicken, and rinse the chicken with cold water. Pat dry.
Punch holes in the lemon rinds with a wooden pick. Cut the lemons in half. Place the lemon halves in the cavity of the chicken. (Sometimes I add a quarter or two of onion or celery pieces here). Truss the chicken; place the chicken, breast side up, on a lightly greased baking rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the breast of the chicken, making sure it does not touch bone.
Combine the oil and the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Brush the chicken with 1/4 cup of the oil mixture -- take the time to loosen the skin and rub some of the mixture into the meat, but make sure you oil the skin so it is deliciously brown and crisp.
Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 170 degrees, brushing occasionally with the remaining oil mixture. Remove the chicken to a serving platter. Let it rest for at least 5-10 minutes before carving.