Lemon and bay leaves lend a taste of spring to this easy no-baste chicken. Bacon, laid across the breast, keeps the meat moist and flavorful. If you're cooking for an Easter crowd, double the recipe. Roast two chickens in the same pan, making sure they don't touch. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes, cook time: 1 1/2 hours, servings: 6

Ingredients
1 (4-5 pound) roasting chicken, washed 
1 lemon (preferably organic),  thinly sliced and seeded, ends set aside
4-6 bay leaves
4 bacon slices
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place chicken in a large roasting pan; remove fat from cavity. Carefully slide your hand between the skin and the breast meat, then insert lemon slices along with the bay leaves. 
2. Place lemon ends in chicken cavity. Lay bacon slices side by side on top of chicken.
3. Roast until a thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180F and juices run clear, not pink, about 11/2 to 2 hours. (Roasting formula is 20 minutes per pound plus 15 minutes.)
4. Remove chicken from pan. Let rest at least 10 minutes. Carve and serve with Pan Gravy.

Ingredients

1 (4-5 pound) roasting chicken, washed 

1 lemon (preferably organic),  thinly sliced and seeded, ends set aside

4-6 bay leaves

4 bacon slices

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place chicken in a large roasting pan; remove fat from cavity. Carefully slide your hand between the skin and the breast meat, then insert lemon slices along with the bay leaves. 

2. Place lemon ends in chicken cavity. Lay bacon slices side by side on top of chicken.

3. Roast until a thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180F and juices run clear, not pink, about 11/2 to 2 hours. (Roasting formula is 20 minutes per pound plus 15 minutes.)

4. Remove chicken from pan. Let rest at least 10 minutes. Carve and serve with Pan Gravy.

British chef and award-winning cookbook author Fran Warde lives with two top recipe testers: her sons. With their help, she's turned home cooking into an art—and we get to sample some of it by way of her beautifully presented cookbook Great Food for Families: Kid-Friendly Food That Adults Will Love Too.