Flattened Garlic-Lime Chicken

Flattening a chicken makes it cook waaay faster--this bird cooks in about an hour and fills the kitchen with beautiful aromas.  This is adapted from a Chatelaine recipe that I tore from the magazine many years ago.  While the recipe calls for whole chicken, rubbing the seasoning over chicken pieces would work just as well.  I've heard you can put the lime slices in a tinfoil roasting pan and roast your chicken in the bbq this way, too, but I haven't tried that yet.

Ingredients:

3-lb whole chicken
2 limes
2 whole heads garlic
1 tbs butter at room temperature
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp chili flakes

olive oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  On a cutting board, with strong scissors, lay chicken breast-side down.  Starting at neck, cut down entire length of both sides of the spine.  Don't worry, that section of spice will make good broth.  Then flip bird over and flatten with hands.  Don't worry, you can't hurt it.  It's already dead.

Grate rind from 1 lime and place in small bowl.  Add soft butter, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes.  Rub the mixture all over the chicken.

Cut both limes into thick slices and lay on bottom of a large casserole dish.

Lay your chicken over the limes.  Cut the tops off the heads of garlic and lay them in the dish, too.  Drizzle olive oil over the garlic, then cover just the garlic heads with tinfoil.   

Roast uncovered in oven for 30 minutes.  Then begin basting periodically while continuing to cook for another 20 minutes.  Then turn oven heat up to 400 degrees and continue to roast for 10 more minutes.  Check for doneness.  Let "rest" for 10 minutes before carving.  You can rub the garlic cloves all over the done chicken, if you want.  I think it's delicious without, but I love roasted garlic so I tend to hog all the garlic to myself.  No one comes near me all night after that.

She's beautiful, no?

Now, there's going to be pan drippings.  Do NOT, really do NOT use the pan drippings.  The lime has made them taste bitter.  But if it makes you feel better, do use the carcass for broth later on.  Any leftover garlic cloves go great in the broth, too...

Serve with veggies of choice.  Me, I steamed broccoli, then lightly sautee'd it in bacon grease and gave it a quick splash of lemon juice at the end.  Enjoy.