When I first read the insructions for this recipe, they seemed a bit unusual to me, but now having tried this method I will only cook my whole chickens this way!!! This is the moistest, juiciest chicken we've had in a long time and easiest too! I pop it in the oven in the morning and we have fresh chicken meat for sandwiches and of course cooked, cubed chicken for Tammy's other scrumscious recipes for leftovers :)