Baked Chicken with Lemon and Chile

For this roast chicken recipe, if you have the time, season the chicken with salt the night before and chill uncovered so the skin will dry out a bit. Doing this helps the chicken take on a nice golden finish.

4 chicken legs, thigh and drumstick (~ 2½ lbs)
sea salt
4 heads garlic, halved crosswise
1 lemon, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed
1 red chile, such as Fresno, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed if desired
3 bay leaves or 5 sprigs thyme
black pepper, freshly ground
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

To Serve:
country-style bread, toasted

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3).

Place chicken in an 9x13" baking dish and season generously all over with salt. Add garlic, lemon, chile, bay leaves and a few grinds of pepper. Pour in oil and toss everything to coat. Turn garlic heads cut side down so they are in contact with the baking dish (this will help them brown).

Roast chicken, rotating pan once, until meat is almost falling off the bone, 75–90 minutes. Let chicken cool in pan 10 minutes, then serve with bread.

Makes 4 servings.