Lex's Roast Chicken from Cuisine at Home

I am going to post Day 3 later today, but I wanted to show you the recipe I needed the baguettes for. This recipe is from Cuisine at Home's October 2004 issue. I loved the concept when I saw it, and I have made it several times since. This is most likely the recipe that taught me how to butterfly a whole chicken, which led me to learn how to cut up a whole chicken. I think this is one of the most useful kitchen skills to learn. It is fairly easy to cut out the backbone. You just have to use scissors or a knife and cut along both sides of the backbone. Then you turn it over and press down on the breastbone to crack and flatten it. Here are some of the components for the dish.

I had pictures of the chopped parsley too, but they turned out too blurry. You saute the onions and celery, until softened, then you stir in the seasonings, and the parsley. This mixture is layered on top of the sliced bread. You then put the butterflied chicken on top and pour lemon juice over it. After it is baked you are left with a delectable roast chicken and a very flavorful dressing.

Looks good! Now on to the recipe.

Lex's Roast Chicken

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil + 2 tablespoons
3 large onions (2 lbs.), halved, sliced into half moons
2 cups celery, sliced
2 teaspoons lemon zest, minced
1 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 chicken (3-4 lb.) butterflied
1/2 loaf crusty french bread, sliced 3/4 inch thick
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. Saute onions and celery in 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. 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 heat. Stir in parsley and set aside.
3. Rub chicken on both sides  with 2 tablespoons evoo; season with salt and pepper.
4. Layer bread, onion mixture, then chicken in a lightly oiled 12-inch cast iron skillet.
5. Pour lemon juice over chicken 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.
6. Remove from oven; let rest for 10 minutes before cutting chicken into quarters.