Red Pepper Taxicab Chicken

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F and lightly salt the chicken or parts. If cooking whole birds, place one lemon half per bird inside each cavity and tie together the legs with kitchen twine. Tie another piece of twine around the upper section, including the wings, to promote even cooking.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the next 6 ingredients, from the bell peppers to the Aleppo pepper. Process until puréed, scraping down the sides as necessary
3. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream until incorporated.
4. For whole chickens: place them breast-side down on the rack of a roasting pan, slather the backs generously with the purée. At this point, you can refrigerate for an hour or so to allow flavors to permeate the chicken.
5. Spoon the sauce from the bottom of the pan on top of the chicken right before roasting. Pour some water into the roasting pan about 1 inch deep to prevent the sauce from burning. Roast the whole birds in lower third of oven the until backs are browned, about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the chickens breast-side up on rack and slather with more sauce from the bottom of the pan. Return to oven and roast until done, about 45 additional minutes, adding more water to the bottom of pan as needed. You may need to lower the heat to 350º F if the sauce is starting to overcook or burn.
6. Check for doneness: an instant-read thermometer should read 165º F in the thickest part of the thigh. Pierce the breast meat with a skewer -- juices should run clear -- or hold up the whole birds vertically with a pair of tongs (use care) and allow the juices from cavity to drip into pan. Juices should be clear, not pink.
7. For chicken parts: If using chicken parts, place them in a roasting pan (or two) in one layer. Slather generously with purée. At this point, you can refrigerate the chicken pieces for an hour or so to allow flavors to permeate. Roast in lower third of oven, lowering temperature to 350º F as necessary, until the juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer registers 165º F.
8. Transfer to a heated platter. Pour juices into a fat separator and pour into a pan set over low heat to warm briefly if desired. Carve or divide into parts and serve with pan juices on the side.