Recipe Instructions:
Lemony brine for chicken
4 to 5 teaspoons kosher salt (corresponding to chicken weight, below)
1 tablespoon Microplaned (or finely grated) lemon zest
1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, giblets and neck removed (or frozen for later)
Lemony pan fixings and gravy
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at a cool room temperature
2 teaspoons Microplaned (or finely grated) lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, halved
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, adjusted to taste
Directions
Brine the chicken: Combine the salt and lemon in a small bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the salt is lemony yellow and super fragrant. Massage this lemon salt all over the chicken (sprinkle a bit inside the empty cavity, too). Stick on a wire rack set over a sheet pan (or in a large bowl or baking dish) and stick in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 1 day or up to 2. (You can truss the chicken if you want, or not.)
When you’re ready to roast the chicken, remove it from the fridge, and heat the oven to 425°F. Pat the chicken all over with towels until it’s totally dry.
Add the butter and lemon zest to a small bowl and mix together until combined. Use a pastry brush or your hands to rub the lemon butter all over the chicken, then evenly season with salt and black pepper (you can go pretty light on the salt since it’s already dry-brined).
Transfer the chicken to a baking dish of your choice (I like a large cast-iron skillet). Stick one lemon half in the chicken’s cavity, then place the remaining halves, cut side-down, in the pan around the chicken. Roast for 65 to 75 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the thigh and leg.
Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the chicken and charred lemons to a cutting board with a deep juice groove (you can discard the lemon half inside the chicken). While that rests, pour the pan juices into a measuring cup or gravy boat, making sure to get all those crispy, golden bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (they’re ultra-concentrated in flavor). Squeeze in a few drops of juice from one of the charred lemon halves on the cutting board, then add the 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and stir with a fork or tiny whisk. By now, some chickeny broth has probably accumulated on the cutting board—pour all of that in (for me, this was about ¼ cup). Stir again and give it a taste. More fresh lemon juice, more charred lemon juice, both? Adjust the fat, acid, salt, and pepper until it’s good enough to drink by the spoonful.
Carve the chicken and serve with the charred lemons alongside and lemony gravy for pouring and dunking.
