Vietnamese Lemon Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 whole roasting chicken, about 4 lbs.,excess fat trimmed away
1 lime
1 stalk lemongrass, ends trimmed,tough outer husks removed and cut into 1-inch lengths
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
3 slices fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon crushed dried chili
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 400\u00b0.
Rinse the chicken, drain and pat dry inside and out.
Remove the peel from the lime and drop the peelings along with the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend to a paste; rub the mixture inside the chicken and all over the skin; working carefully so as not to rip the skin, make a small pocket under the skin at the breast and slip some of the seasonings into the pocket; use your fingers on the outside of the breast to spread the seasonings evenly over the meat (under the skin).
Quarter the peeled lime and squeeze the juice inside the cavity as well as over the chicken then put the lime halves inside the chicken.
Place the chicken in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up, and roast 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a knife.
Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
To serve, remove the lime from the cavity and carve the chicken into serving pieces.