Sake-Ginger Chicken

Sometimes I feel more like a Jewish grandmother than a 27 year old yuppie. Maybe it's that I am an old soul or that I like to go to bed around 9pm. Anyway, nothing makes me feel more so than making a roast chicken and serving it to my friends. I admit that my favorite way is just sticking a lemon up it's butt and roasting it with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. It is perfection in every way, but since I make it so often, it doesn't feel special anymore. When the Holidays come around, I want to jazz up my roast chicken and make it unique. I've tried lots of things, but on my last visit to the Asian market, I picked up a small bottle of inexpensive sake. I don't claim to know anything about the stuff, I just got an inexpensive bottle that said "fresh and light" on it. Sounded good. I added limes and ginger and it permeated the meat with delicate, but very complex flavors. This would make a nice Rosh Hashannah chicken dinner.
Sake-Ginger Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole 6-7 lb. chicken
3 limes
1 small (12 oz.) bottle sake
2 inch piece of ginger
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
1. Create a marinate for the chicken by pouring sake into a large freezer bag along with halved limes that you squeeze into the bag and then throw in the limes.
2. Cut the ginger into large chunks and throw into the bag. Also add 1 Tablespoon salt and 1/2 Tablespoon pepper.3. You can buy your chicken already in pieces (2 breasts, legs, thighs, and wings) or you can buy a whole one and cut it up yourself. I just removed the backbone and cut mine in half.
4. Marinate the chicken in the bag in your fridge overnight.
5. Remove chicken from marinade and discard the marinade and limes. Set chicken on a baking sheet and rub with vegetable oil and sprinkle liberally with coarse salt (kosher or sea).
6. Bake at 325 for an hour and a half until very tender and then turn up the heat to 400 for 30 minutes to get it nice and crispy. The juice will run clear when you pierce the flesh. You want to keep it juicy and you don't want to overcook it. 7. Let it rest for 5 minutes or so and slice up enjoy!