Lemon-Rosemary Chicken !!!!!!

Look at this chicken...it is so moist and tender....juicy and delicious, but we will get to that in a minute- First I want to talk to you about something controversial....SALT! As far as cooking goes, food without salt is pretty flavorless. I use it even in dessert- it is an indispensable asset to all cooking endeavors!

Back in Bible times,  the Dead Sea was the source of most of their salt. It was more than just a flavoring - it was a means of preserving food back then. But because of how they got their salt, it didn't take long for the salt to go bad and have to be discarded.

Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

If we are following Christ, we are called the "salt of the earth".
The surest way to fulfill that calling is a daily intake of the source of our salt- Christ Himself. We'll talk more about salt, but for now, just agree with me that is it a necessity in cooking!!!!
This chicken, for instance is crusted with salt and filled with other good things - you will love how easy and delicious it is to make this....IF you have salt!!!!!!
First preheat your oven to 350° .
Here's what else you'll need:

3lb. whole chicken
1 stick of butter
2 lemons
a couple sprigs of rosemary
sea salt
I like to line my pan with foil just so I don't have to scrub browned bits of chicken from it later...it saves time, and time is something I seem to lose..or misplace...or something- so this is some small way of saving some....I think.

Now, just look at this rosemary....

Smells so good- freshly plucked from our wonderfully generous neighbor's yard. I actually consider it an extension of our own yard since we continually pick their fruit and vegetables and I sit poolside all Summer long watching my kidlets play in their pool....have I ever mentioned how nice my neighbors are???
I have the best!!!! YES!     Anyhoo-you will need to find some beautifully green rosemary on your own.....
And, here are the gory details-
Pull the innards from the chicken (I will say no more!!!!) Then rinse it inside and out and pat it dry.Season inside with salt and pepper.
Cut your lemons in half and squeeze the juice on the inside and outside and then stuff them inside the breast cavity. Make pockets under the skin for the rosemary sprigs and put 1 T. butter under each side as well.This really sounds gross, but it only takes a second and you can focus your full attention on your kidlet who is telling you a very detailed story about her trampoline experience or hum a tune, or whatever occupies your thoughts best, and the next thing you know, the chicken is stuffed and ready for it's bath of warm butter.....
Mmmmmm butter!!!!!!

Drizzle 1/2 cup melted butter over the entire chicken...this is why it is MOIST and DELICIOUS!!!! and then sprinkle generously with sea salt.....
Put the chicken in the oven for 1 1/2 hr. until golden brown. Remove, cover with foil and let the chicken sit for 15 minutes to allow the juices to recede and finish cooking. The juices should run clear when you cut into it- if not, return it to the oven for a few more minutes until they do, but don't leave it too long!!! This is what we are looking for....

Really, this takes very few ingredients (salt is highly important, though!!!!)about 10 minutes of your time to prepare - so you can save your time for something more fun....like jumping on the trampoline- if you like that sort of thing- and you can also savor your dinner!!!!!!

Hope you enjoy the rest of this lovely cloud-filled afternoon and try this sometime soon!!!!