1 whole roasted chicken, shredded and/or chopped small
2 whole lemons-- plus 2 teaspoons of the fresh zest--and the juice from one of those lemons
2/3 cup sweet onion, diced very small
3 ribs celery, diced very small
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
non-required additions may include: dried apricots, cranberries, or raisins, chopped nuts, salted sunflower seeds are especially nice.
Start with one raw, whole chicken. Season heavily with salt, pepper, italian seasoning, inside and out. Half one lemon and stuff inside the bird, sqeezing the juice out into the cavity.
Roast as you would normally until it's well cooked. Take out of the oven and allow to cool in the fridge.
Remove all meat off the bones, discard the cooked lemon. Chop or shred the meat. Mix with remaining ingredients, they key to the bright flavor is the lemon zest and juice. The ratio of sour cream and mayonnaise might need to be adjusted because the size of chicken matters, a large bird will require more dressing, smaller bird, less. For the best results make this several hours ahead or even the night before. Enjoy