Lex's Roast Chicken

Super comfort food from Cuisine At Home. We prefer using 1 medium size lemon for the zest and juicing aspect. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. A variation of French farcir except the stuffing is underneath the chicken. This is really good when using a cast iron pan.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3  large onions, halved, sliced into half-moons (about 2 lbs)
• 2  cups celery, sliced
• 2  teaspoons lemon zest, minced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt (to taste)
• 1  teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1⁄4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1⁄2 loaf  French bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices
•  cooking spray
• 1 (3 -4 lb)  whole chickens, cut up
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
• 1  lemon, juice of, medium size

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Saute onions and celery in olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes; stirring occasionally.
3. Add zest, salt, garlic, pepper, thyme, and red pepper; continue to saute until onions and celery are soft and translucent, about 5 more minutes; remove from hear. Stir in parsley and set aside.
4. Spray chicken on both sides with cooking spray; season with pepper and salt.
5. Layer bread, onion mixture, then chicken in a lightly oiled pan.
6. Pour lemon juice over chicken (the amount of lemon juice depends upon what you prefer) and roast, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, or until golden brown and at least 160-165 degrees. Check for doneness the last 15 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and serve, spoon some bread and vegetables onto each plate and top with chicken. Enjoy!