Let’s prepare the marinade.

1. For the lemony marinade, we will need the following ingredients:
2. 1/3 cup oil (I used avocado oil), 4 garlic cloves (diced), 1 medium onion diced (or half of a large onion)- about 1/2 cup diced, zest from one lemon, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3. To the 1/3 cup of oil add the diced garlic cloves, diced onions, sweet paprika, salt, ground black pepper, and dried oregano.
4. Zest 1 lemon into the cup or bowl of the marinade. Be sure to zest the outer yellow skin and not the white pith as that tends to be a bit bitter. Also, be sure to zest your lemon first before cutting it. Zesting a whole lemon is easier than when it has been cut.
5. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out its juices. Measure 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and add that to the bowl or cup with the marinade.
6. Mix the marinade with a fork to combine and set it aside.

Marinade the chicken:

1. To marinade the chicken, I like to do so in a freezer galloon-sized ziptop bag. I find the freezer bags to be sturdy and makes cleanup a lot easier. At the same time, the chicken can be placed in a bowl instead of a ziptop bag and covered with plastic wrap. I personally like the ziptop bag because I can toss the bag away once the chicken has been marinaded which in turn eliminates the bowl from being contaminated with its juices. Additionally, I placed the ziptop bag in a tray just to be safe. This is a safety measure, in case any of the chicken’s juices or the marinade spills out, it will do so in the tray.
2. Just a friendly reminder: I like to wear gloves when touching chicken. Also, when working with raw chicken, it is important to wash your hands well after having touched it. Also, make sure to thoroughly wash/clean/disinfect any object (s) (like knives, cutting boards, bowls) or surfaces that the chicken has touched to prevent any cross contamination.
3. Carefully pour the marinade over the chicken making sure it doesn’t spill out. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and close the seal shut. Move the chicken around in the marinade making sure it’s well coated, and lay it down flat. Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator and allow it to marinade for about 30 minutes to an hour. Furthermore, I like to move the chicken around one time (halfway through) the marinating time to ensure the marinade is evenly coating the chicken.
4. Note: You don’t want to let it marinade for too long or else the meat can become mushy. Also, if left too long, the acid from the lemon can begin to “cook” the meat.

Roast the chicken:

1. Position the oven rack to the 2nd rack from the bottom and preheat the oven to 425F
2. Once the chicken has marinaded, remove it from its bag and remove any bits and pieces that might be on the chicken from the marinade. Transfer the chicken (skin-side up) to a 9×13 baking dish and arrange them in a single layer. I like to use a 9×13 baking dish because as the chicken cooks, it will release some of its juices. These juices will create a flavorful pool in which the chickens will roast in. This will help impart some more flavor to the chicken. Note: I used a non-stick ceramic baking dish. Apply some oil to the baking dish, if needed, to prevent the chicken from sticking to it.
3. Sprinkle some salt over the chicken. Not too much salt since our marinade already had some salt in it.
4. Step 1: Place the chicken in the oven (on the second rack from the bottom) and roast for 20 minutes.When it comes to cooking the chicken, I like to follow this method:
   • Roast for 20 minutes on one side (skin-side up).
   • Flip (skin-side down) and roast for 12 minutes.
   • Flip (skin-side up) and roast for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through (internal temperature registers 165F) and is golden.
5. Step 2 : Carefully remove the baking dish and carefully flip the chicken so the skin is now facing down. This will allow the bottom part of the chicken to brown a bit and the skin will cook in the some of that liquid that’s in the baking dish (which will help impart some great flavor to the skin).
6. Transfer the chicken back to the oven (skin-side down) and allow it to cook for 12 minutes.
7. Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven once that 12 minute roasting time is done. The bottom parts of the chicken should have browned a bit.
8. Step 3: Now, carefully flip the chicken once more to where it’s skin-side up again. Transfer the chicken back into the oven and allow it to roast for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through (internal temperature registers 165F) and is golden.
9. After that final roasting time, the chicken should be cooked through and the skin should be crispy with a nice golden color.
10. Allow the chicken to rest in the baking dish for 10-15 minutes before serving.
11. Enjoy!