Honey-Mustard Chicken

• 1 4–5 lb. chicken
• Salt and pepper
• 1.5 lemons
• 0.25 cup honey
• 0.25 cup mustard (dijon with seeds is best)

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator an hour before you want to start cooking. You really don't need to wash it, but, if you feel you must, dry it inside and out then season it inside and out with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat your oven to 450F.

Cut the lemons into quarters and place them inside the body. Secure the opening so they don't fall out.

If your honey is stiff, make it runny again, either by placing the jar in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, or by putting a small dish of it in the microwave and blasting it at half-power for 30 seconds, repeating if necessary.

Measure your honey into a small bowl and mix in the mustard well.

Put the chicken on a rack over a baking-tray in the center of the oven and cook it for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350F and baste the chicken with the honey-mustard mix.

Continue to baste every 10 minutes until it's all gone. You don't want to use too much at once, or it will just fall off into the tray below; you want to use several thin coats.

Use an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh to check the temperature of the chicken—it takes about 1.5–2 hours to reach 165F, but this will vary with the size of the chicken and how long before cooking you took it out of the refrigerator. Take the chicken out of the oven and rest it on a carving board.

Remove the lemon and carve the chicken.

This is really good cold as a picnic dish.