Butterflied Chicken With Herbs and Sticky Lemon

This recipe, submitted by Elise Lalor from Issaquah, WA, was the 2009 Judges’ Choice and $10,000 winner(representing the Pacific region) in the 2009 Chicken Cooking contest put on by the National Chicken Council.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  whole chicken, back bone and breast bone removed and flattened
• 2  teaspoons kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 5  sprigs rosemary
• 10  long sprigs thyme
• 10  garlic cloves
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup sherry wine vinegar
• 1  lemon, thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 2  tablespoons  adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers (use more or less depending on heat level desired)
• 2  tablespoons  toasted sliced almonds
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Sprinkle the chicken with kosher salt and pepper.
2. On a cookie sheet, place rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs and garlic. Arrange flattened chicken on top and sprinkle with olive oil. Place chicken in 400° F oven for 20 minutes. Pour sherry vinegar over chicken and cook additional 15 minutes. Place lemon slices over chicken.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the honey and chipotle sauce. Brush over lemon slices. Bake chicken additional 10-15 minutes, brushing with honey sauce (use foil to cover chicken if it starts to burn).
4. Test for doneness by inserting an instant read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. It should register 180°F
5. Remove chicken to platter and sprinkle with almonds and parsley. Enjoy!