Who doesn’t love a good roast chicken. And this one, is even more tender than normal thanks to marinating for hours in lemonade. Oh, and being rubbed with duck fat and spices.

Yes, you heard me right. Lemonade. The acid helps to keep the chicken from getting too tough, while the sweetness helps prevent the chicken from “cooking” from too much acidity. It really strikes the perfect balance.

And I’ll repeat myself. Who doesn’t love a good lemon-flavored roast chicken.

Ingredients:

4 -5 lb whole roast chicken

4 cups lemonade (I prefer simply lemonade)

6 Tbsp duck fat

1/4 tsp ground thyme

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 bunch fresh thyme

1/2 onion rough chopped

2 carrots, rough chopped

2 ribs celery, rough chopped

2 lemons, halved

Directions:

Spatchcock the chicken, by removing the backbone and breaking the breastbone, and place into a gallon sized ziplock bag. Add lemonade.

Refrigerate 5 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Stir ground thyme, pepper, garlic powder, and salt together.

Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry.

Add chopped onion, lemon, carrot, celery and fresh thyme to a large roasting pan.

Rub chicken with duck fat, and sprinkle dried herb mixture over entire bird, making sure to get both over and under skin. Flatten chicken over lemon, thyme and vegetables, breast side up.

Place roasting pan on lower 1/3 of oven. Roast for 15 minutes. Cover with tin foil.

Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Or until internal thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Carve chicken and serve with roasted vegetables and top with pan juices.