Whole Roasted Chicken with Bacon
- 1 chicken, whole 3 to 3 1/2-pound
- salt and black pepper, Kosher freshly ground
- 6 sprigs thyme, fresh
- 2 lemons, each cut into 8 wedges
- 12 bacon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Season the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with the thyme sprigs and lemon wedges. With the cavity of the chicken facing you, put one end of a bacon slice squarely over the left thigh then run it over the breast meat and finish by covering the right thigh. Repeat with 9 more strips of bacon, slightly overlapping them, so the thighs and all of the breast meat are covered. Wrap one strip, slightly overlapping, around each drumstick.
Make a sauce by pouring the juices from inside the cavity (along with the thyme and lemon wedges) into the roasting pan. Put the pan over the medium heat and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the mustard, add 2 tablespoons of water, and simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow the sauce to come together. Strain, pressing down on the lemon wedges to get the juice into the sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Discard the lemon wedges. Serve immediately.
Excerpt from "The Home Cook: Recipes to Know by Heart" by Alex Guarnaschelli. Copyright © 2017 by Alex Guarnaschelli. Used with permission by Clarkson Potter. All rights reserved.