Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1 Chicken (3-4 lb) 2 sm Thin-skinned lemons
Salt and pepper -washed well and dried

Note: Don't add cooking fat of any kind. This bird is self-basting.
Try not to puncture the skin at any time during cooking; if kept
intact, the chicken will swell like a balloon. Keep any leftovers
moist with some of the cooking juices and eat them at room
temperature.

1. Preheat oven to 350øF. Thoroughly wash chicken inside and out in
cold water. Remove any bits of loose fat. Let stand on a slightly
tilted plate for about 10 minutes so that all the water drains out.
Pat dry all over.

2. Season chicken generously inside and out with salt and pepper; rub
in the seasonings.

3. Set the lemons on a counter and roll them back and forth, pressing
with your palm. Using a sturdy round toothpick or a fork, puncture
each lemon in at least 20 places.

4. Place both lemons in the cavity of the chicken. Seal the opening
with toothpicks; close it well, but don't make it airtight because
the chicken might burst. Run kitchen string from one leg to the other
and tie it at the knuckle ends; the string serve only to keep the
thighs from spreading apart and splitting the skin.

5. Set the chicken breast side down in a roasting pan. Place it in the
upper third of the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Carefully turn the
chicken over onto its back and cook for another 30-35 minutes.

6. Turn the oven up to 400øF and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
(Calculate between 20-25 minutes total cooking time per pound.)
Whether or not the chicken has puffed up, bring it to the table whole
and leave the lemons inside until it is carved. The juices that run
out are delicious, so be sure to spoon them over the chicken.

Fine Cooking November 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 11-01-95

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