Recipe from Chef Lance Young, The Roaring Fork, Dallas.
Spring Chicken
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh chives
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 whole chickens (21/2 to 3 pounds each)
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix lemon juice, honey, herbs, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Wash and dry the chickens and liberally season the insides with salt and pepper. Truss chickens, then brush with lemon-and-herb mixture. Place on a roasting rack in a pan and cook in oven for about an hour (check for doneness after 50 minutes by moving the leg and thigh joints; they should be loose and separate easily).
Garden Vegetables
12 to 18 baby zucchini squash (fewer if full-sized squash are used)
12 to 18 pattypan squash
18 to 24 small new potatoes
4 Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter (optional)
While chickens are roasting, slice zucchini lengthwise 3 or 4 times, leaving stem intact to create a fan. Cut pattypan in half through stem. Quarter and blanch potatoes for 5 to 8 minutes until almost done. Quarter tomatoes and remove pulp, then julienne. Pour olive oil into a skillet over medium heat, add squash and allow to caramelize lightly, then add potatoes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add tomato, garlic, thyme, and stock and cook until heated through. Add wine, then season to taste and finish with butter if desired.
To serve, allow chickens to rest 2 or 3 minutes, then split in half. Remove rib cage (it should pull out easily). Cut leg and thigh from breast. Then cut leg from thigh. Arrange vegetables and pieces of chicken attractively on each plate. Serves 4 to 6.
