2 hours before cooking, using clean or gloved hands, wipe off excess marinade from chicken skin and discard. Don't worry, the flavor has already penetrated the meat and these bits of garlic, lemongrass...etc will just burn in the oven
On a sheet tray with a roasting rack, open up the chicken and lay it on the rack. Press down to lay the chicken flat, breast side up. You may need to press down hard to get the breast to lay flat and you may hear a few bones cracking. That is OK. Pull wings behind the chicken as shown in picture.
Allow chicken to sit at room temperature for 2 hours. This will help temper the meat and dry the skin.
30 minutes before cooking, place oven rack on lowest position and turn the broiler on to LOW. I have a broiler with HI and LOW settings, alternatively, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Your oven's temperatures and setting may vary.
Place chicken on bottom rack of oven and cook. Chicken should take about 50-60 minutes to cook , if the chicken is getting too much or too little color, Adjust oven temperature accordingly.
After about 45 minutes, check the bird for doneness. Use a thin metal skewer or cake tester and insert it near the bone in the thickest part of the thigh. Hold it there for 5 seconds. Quickly remove the utensil and feel the tip using your wrist or lower lip. When the tip feels hot, not warm, the chicken is cooked. Make sure to also check the breast meat near the bone in the same way.
You could also use a probe thermometer to check the temperature in the same locations. Thermometer should read at 165 - 170 Fahrenheit.
If you prefer the thighs to be more tender, continue cooking the chicken for an additional 10 minutes after it has come to temperature. I prefer it cooked this way.
Rest the chicken for at least 15 minutes.
Cut the chicken up and serve bone-in.
