Roast Lemon Chicken

I got this recipe from Cook’s Country.com.  I love lemon and this looked great and tasted as good as it looked. It might look like a lot of directions but just read through them before you start and it is not hard at all.  The hardest part if cutting out the backbone.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 – 4 pounds), backbone removed and butterflied
• 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest plus 1/3 cup juice from 3 lemons
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Season* Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine lemon zest, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone.
2. Flip the bird over and press to flatten the breastbone. Carefully loosen the skin. Rub 2 tablespoons zest mixture under skin of chicken under the skin . Season chicken with salt and pepper and transfer to a roasting pan. ( Seasoned chicken can be refrigerated for 2 hours)
3. Roast* Whisk broth, 1 cup water, lemon juice and remaining zest mixture in 4-cup liquid measuring cup, then pour into roasting pan. (liquid should just reach skin of thighs.
4. If it does not, add enough water to reach skin of thighs.) Roast until skin is golden brown and thigh meat resisters 170 to 175 degrees 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest 20 minutes.
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5. Make Sauce* Pour liquid from pan, into a saucepan (you should have 1 1/2 cups). Skim fat, then cook over medium-high until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
6. Whisk cornstarch with remaining water in small bowl until no lumps remain, then whisk into saucepan. Simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Off heat; whisk in butter and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve, passing sauce at table.

Notes

Avoid using nonstick or aluminum roasting pans in this recipe. This can cause the chicken to brown too quickly, while this may react with the lemon juice, producing off-flavors.