Marcella Hazan’s Roast Chicken With Lemons
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
- 3- to 4-pound chicken
- Salt
- Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
- 2rather small lemons
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
866 calories; 60 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 74 grams protein; 999 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
Wash the chicken thoroughly in cold water, both inside and out. Remove all the bits of fat hanging loose. Let the bird sit for about 10 minutes on a slightly tilted plate to let all the water drain out of it. Pat it thoroughly dry all over with cloth or paper towels.
- Step 3
Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and black pepper on the chicken, rubbing it with your fingers over all its body and into its cavity.
- Step 4
Wash the lemons in cold water and dry them with a towel. Soften each lemon by placing it on a counter and rolling it back and forth as you put firm downward pressure on it with the palm of your hand. Puncture the lemons in at least 20 places each, using a sturdy round toothpick, a trussing needle, a sharp-pointed fork, or similar implement.
- Step 5
Place both lemons in the bird's cavity. Close up the opening with toothpicks or with trussing needle and string. Close it well, but don't make an absolutely airtight job of it because the chicken may burst. Run kitchen string from one leg to the other, tying it at both knuckle ends. Leave the legs in their natural position without pulling them tight. If the skin is unbroken, the chicken will puff up as it cooks, and the string serves only to keep the thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin.
- Step 6
Put the chicken into a roasting pan, breast facing down. Do not add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting, so you need not fear it will stick to the pan. Place it in the upper third of the preheated oven. After 30 minutes, turn the chicken over to have the breast face up. When turning it, try not to puncture the skin. If kept intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon, which makes for an arresting presentation at the table later. Do not worry too much about it, however, because even if it fails to swell, the flavor will not be affected.
- Step 7
Cook for another 30 to 35 minutes, then turn the oven thermostat up to 400 degrees, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Calculate between 20 and 25 minutes total cooking time for each pound. There is no need to turn the chicken again.
- Step 8
Whether your bird has puffed up or not, bring it to the table whole and leave the lemons inside until it is carved and opened. The juices that run out are perfectly delicious. Be sure to spoon them over the chicken slices. The lemons will have shriveled up, but they still contain some juice; do not squeeze them, they may squirt.
Private Notes
Comments
Best practice nowadays is not to wash poultry, as water sprays contaminates a large area including work surfaces, the sink and faucet handles. Just remove chix from packaging, drain liquid into sunk and thoroughly pat dry inside and out with paper towels. proper cooking kills all the bacteria. Be sure to wash hands, sink and faucet thoroughly after handling any raw poultry or eggs.
The first time I made this, I found it boring, but I cooked it again last week and was amazed! What I did differently the second time was to squash the lemons more forcefully to let the juices flow freely, and to use a baking dish barely larger than the chicken to collect the delicious sauce. It was so good that I am repeating the meal this week.
A wonderful accompaniment is Melissa Clark's butternut squash with brown butter, sage and pecans. The lemon sauce complements this very well.
We have been cooking this recipe for many many years and I appreciate the NY Times for giving it it's due. But I would urge you to read the actual recipe in Marcella's cookbook "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking". She is so descriptive with her words and clearly so passionate about creating great food - unlike any other cookbook I've read.
Third time making this chicken and it won’t be the last. It does work out better if you let it dry out a bit in the refrigerator after salt & pepper. It didn’t seem to matter that I only tied the legs together and used toothpicks to close it up instead of sewing it. Rolling the lemons well before puncturing also helps them to juice out while cooking. The only departures I now make: to use parchment paper & slightly oil the bird (it kept sticking after the turnover), and to add in some fresh rosemary with the lemon (can’t alway fit two in there). Try it! puts rotisserie birds to shame!
I was skeptical that this ridiculously easy recipe would produce anything special. However, I was pulling together a quick Sunday dinner for the family and decided to give it a try. As an aside, I recently made a smashed cucumber salad, so I smashed the lemons in a similar way, after cutting them in half and piercing them all over with a paring knife. I roasted according to directions until reaching the appropriate internal temperature. After removing from the oven, I allowed it to sit for a good 45 minutes. When I cut up the chicken, it was perfectly cooked and made LOTS of drippings. The lemons were cooled down a bit so I was able to squeeze them over the cut up chicken. We did not need to add a thing to extend the “gravy” or to make it more flavorful. Also roasted a sheet pan of sliced carrots with a small amount of olive oil. Dressed those with a couple spoons of lemon vinaigrette, chopped fresh parsley and crumbled feta cheese. With the addition of good bread and a fresh green salad, we were happy and well fed.
The first and only time someone made this at a dinner party, they also made homemade croutons and place them around the chicken so they would absorb some juice. It was amazing!