Citrus-Marinated Roasted Chicken

Recipe from “Fine Cooking.” You can refrigerate the leftovers for up to 4 days. Store the chicken, pan juice and citrus wedges separately.

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 4-pound whole chickens, each cut into 6 pieces (4 breasts with rib bones, 4 leg-thigh pieces, 4 wings)
• 4 large lemons
• 2 large oranges
• 8 medium cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tablespoon dried, crumbled)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the olive oil into a heavy-duty nonreactive roasting pan large enough to accommodate the chicken pieces in one layer. Arrange the chicken in the pan with the breasts in the center and the legs and wings around the edge.

Cut 1 of the lemons into 6 wedges. Finely grate the zest from another lemon to yield 1 teaspoon and then squeeze the remaining lemons to yield 2/3 cup juice; transfer the zest and juice to a small bowl. Cut 1 of the oranges into 8 wedges. Finely grate the zest from the remaining orange to yield 1 teaspoon, and then squeeze the orange to yield 1/2 cup juice; add to the bowl with the lemon juice and zest. Scatter the lemon and orange wedges around the chicken pieces, but don’t put them on top of the chicken or they’ll interfere with the browning.

Stir the garlic, oregano, soy sauce, honey, and pepper flakes into the citrus juice. Pour the marinade evenly over the chicken. Cover with plastic and refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Turn the chicken so all the pieces are skin side up. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue to roast until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and the lemon and orange wedges to a platter. Pour the pan juice into a fat separator and let sit until the fat rises to the top. Discard the excess fat and pour the juice into a 10-inch skillet. Boil over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.

Serve the chicken with the citrus wedges, passing the reduced pan juice at the table. Serves 6 (with leftovers).

Per serving: 504 calories; 30 g fat (7 g saturated fat; 54 percent calories from fat); 8 g carbohydrates; 152 mg cholesterol; 712 mg sodium; 49 g protein; 1 g fiber.