From http://inthekitchenwithkath.com
(Adapted from the recipe in Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)
Serves 4
A 3 – 4 pound chicken*
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 small lemons (often called “baby lemons” in the produce section)
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚.
2. Rinse the chicken and dry it off inside and out with paper towels.
3. Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt, inside and out, and rub it in with your fingers. Grind some black pepper over the chicken.
4. Wash the lemons and roll them on the counter to soften them. Puncture them all over with the tip of a sharp knife.
5. Put the lemons inside the chicken, and close the opening with toothpicks. (Close it well, but you don’t want it absolutely closed up tight because the chicken might burst.)
6. Use a piece of kitchen string to tie the drumsticks to the body. (If they’re not tied, the drumsticks will pull away from the body during roasting, breaking the skin.)
7. Roast breast-side-down for 40 minutes.
8. Carefully turn the chicken over and roast for another 35 minutes.
9. Turn the oven temperature up to 400˚ and roast for another 20 minutes.
10. Let rest, covered with foil, for about 10 minutes before carving
11. Serve with the delicious juices.
*The roasting times worked perfectly for my chicken, which was just under 4 pounds. If you have a larger chicken (4 – 5 pounds) you’ll want to increase the roasting time a bit. It’s always good to use a thermometer to make sure it is done. The thickest part if the breast should be 160˚- 165˚. The thickest part of the thigh should register 170˚- 175˚.
I roasted a 5 pound chicken and found these times to be perfect:
Roast breast-side down at 350˚ for 50 minutes.
Turn over and roast for another 40 minutes.
Turn the oven temperature up to 400˚ and continue roasting for 20 minutes.