Citrus Spring Chicken

Submitted by Dreamer in Ontario

"From an old Chatelaine magazine. Prep time assumes you purchased chicken halves and don't need to cut it yourself."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 cup dry white wine or 1 cup apple juice
• 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 lemon
• 1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, about 2 limes
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced or 2 tablespoons bottled minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon tarragon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1⁄2 lbs whole chickens, preferably split in half

directions

1. Preheat oven to 475F
2. In a 9x13-inch baking dish or roasting pan (should hold 2 flattened chicken halves snughly), stir wine with lemon and lime juices, garlic, rosemary and salt.
3. If chicken hasn't been split, use kitchen scissors or shears to cut backbone out of chicken and discard.
4. Cut off and discard any excess fat or skin.
5. Slice chicken in half between breasts.
6. Place, skin-side up, on a flat surface.
7. Flatten the chicken as much as you can by pressing down on the breast bone with both hands or smash it with a heavy frying pan.
8. Rinse with cold water, pat dry with paper towels and place chicken, skin-side down, in dish and spoon some of wine mixture overtop.
9. Lay a large piece of foil over dish, then place soething heavy such as a cast iron ovenproof pan, cast-iron frying pan or a foil-wrapped brick on top of chicken to help keep it flat.
10. Roast in centre of 475F oven 30 minutes.
11. Remove heavy pan or brick and foil.
12. Remove chicken from oven, turn chicken over and spoon pan juices overtop.
13. Return to oven and roast, uncovered and basting occasionally with pan juices, until chicken is firm when pressed and temperature of the thickest part of meat reaches 170F (15 to 20 more minutes.
14. Remove chicken to a cutting board, slice into serving-size portions and place on dinner plates.
15. Spoon pan juices overtop.

Reviews

[queenbeatrice]

I used 4 chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks) and followed recipe as directed with great results. The pan juices are amazing. I drizzled them over mini roasted potatoes and they paired very well together. Thanks for sharing your recipe :)

 

[weekend cooker]

Very easy to make. Boy, this was REALLY GOOD. I use dry white wine. This also was very flavorable. Very enjoyable, and many thanks for a #1 dinner that we all enjoyed.

 

[evelynathens]

This made rather a lot of marinade, which turned even more once the chicken's own juices were incorporated. I think you could easily use 1/2 cup white wine (or apple juice, as I did) and get more intensely-flavoured pan juices in the end. Having said that, this was very flavourful and juicy chicken and couldn't have been easier (with my pre-split chickens). I did up the garlic considerably - just can't get enough of it with chicken!