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1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pulse the butter, lemon zest and juice, garlic, thyme, paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper in a food processor until smooth.
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2
Put the chickens on a rimmed baking sheet.
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3
Loosen the skin on the breasts and legs with your fingers.
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4
Rub about three-quarters of the lemon-pepper butter under the skin, then rub the rest all over the chickens.
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5
Refrigerate, uncovered, 2 hours or up to 8 hours before roasting.
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6
Tie the chicken legs together with twine and tuck the wings under the body; place breast-side up on a rack in a large roasting pan.
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7
Pour the wine into the pan and transfer to the oven; roast until the chickens are golden and crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 1 hour, 50 minutes.
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8
(Tent with foil if the skin browns too quickly.)
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9
Let the chickens rest 10 minutes before portioning (see below).
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10
Season with salt.
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11
Grab one of the legs with tongs and pull it away from the body; cut through the skin with kitchen shears.
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12
Pull the leg out and back to pop the joint; remove the leg with the shears.
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13
Repeat on the other side.
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14
Separate the drumsticks from the thighs with the shears.
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15
Cut off the wings as close to the body as possible.
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16
Insert the shears into the tail end of the chicken and cut along the breastbone.
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17
Pull back one of the breasts and cut it off the backbone.
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18
Repeat on the other side.
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19
Photograph by David Malosh
