Imagine a perfectly crisp baked chicken with leeks sitting on a lemon and white wine bed. As the lemon and leeks cook with the wine, the intense flavor and caramelization of the two infuse the chicken with flavor while keeping it moist and juicy.
Preheat oven at 375°.
Cover the bottom of the roasting pan with the thinly sliced lemons and add the thinly sliced leeks over it.
Pat the chicken dry, salt and pepper all over, Place the chicken on top of the leeks. Salt and pepper generously. Add the garlic cloves, juice from 1 lemon and the white wine around the chicken.
Place in the warm oven and lower the heat to 350°.
Check while cooking to make sure that the lemons and leeks do not burn and baste the chicken with juices every 15-20 minutes. Add more wine if needed.
Once the chicken is nice and golden, 45 to 50 minutes and no more juices are running when pierced, remove from the oven and let sit covered for 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with the leeks and lemons relish.
Halfway thru the baking process, I baste the chicken and add more wine if need be. You want it to stay moist.
Also, poke the chicken to let out the internal juices.