- I'm gonna make Marcella's chicken with two lemons, which is almost like a bit of poetry, because it's three-to-four pound chicken, salt, pepper, lemons.

I don't know of a recipe that's simpler than this that certainly delivers as much flavor impact.

It's so straightforward and elemental.

But the first thing is the chicken is only seasoned with salt and pepper.

It is seasoned generously.

Plus also the inside of the cavity.

I'll do the same with the pepper.

I'll take to take two lemons.

I'm gonna take off my gloves for this.

And the lemons have to be perforated substantially.

You can do this with a fork.

Insert lemon into chicken.

You should be able to get the second one in.

Use the toothpick to also seal the front part of the chicken here.

Keeping the legs together also helps too.

And that is all the prep.

The chicken is cooked initially with the breast side down for 30 minutes, 350 degrees.

(bell chiming) And once you're sure it's not stuck, then we flip it over.

It goes back into the oven at the same temperature for another 30 minutes.

(bell chiming) Complete the process with a 20 minute roast at 400 degrees.

(bell chiming) And that looks like a perfectly golden brown chicken that's not too burned or too caramelized.

This is by far the dish I have shared most with people.

Not to show what I can do, but to show what they can do, and that's what's important.

- [Bryant] Even I can do this one right?

- And we all live to her spirit and her memory, and sort of pass that knowledge onto other people.

Marcella Polini Hazan.

- And you can see that this page is just a mess.

This was the lemon chicken that I made, and suddenly everybody I know made.

It was just the most amazing thing, and I just could not believe this thing was gonna work.

And you did, and it was the most dramatic thing in the world.

The essence of this stuff.

Wait, there's just two or three ingredients.

How did this turn out this way?

- I remember that was probably the first thing I ever cooked of hers, and it gives you something that you have through the rest of your life.

Stuff the lemons in the chicken.

You've got dinner.

(bright orchestral music)