Roasted Chicken With Lemon, Garlic and Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 (6 lb)  roasting chickens, approximately 6 pounds
• 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1 lemon
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more
• fresh thyme, for garnish
• 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

Directions

1. 1

   Let the butter and chicken stand at room temperature for 3o minutes or so.

2. 2

   Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

3. 3

   Remove and discard any giblets, excess fat, and plastic pop-up timer, if there is one.

4. 4

   To prevent burning, tuck the chicken's wing tips under the body.

5. 5

   Season the cavity of the chicken, liberally, with salt and pepper.

6. 6

   Roll the lemon back and forth on the counter to get the juices going. Pierce the entire surface of the lemon with the fork.

7. 7

   Smash up the garlic cloves- the side of a knife does this well.

8. 8

   Insert lemon, garlic and thyme into the cavity of the bird.

9. 9

   Arrange the onion slices in the center of a heavy-duty roasting pan. (Arranging the onions in overlapping rows works great) Place the chicken on top with the breast side up. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen twine.

10. 10

    Spread the softened butter over the entire surface of the chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.

11. 11

    Roast the chicken until skin is crisp and the skin is a nice golden brown. The juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork- about 1 1/2 hours. The chicken will be cooked perfectly when an instant-read thermometer (inserted into the breast- then thigh) will read 165 degrees.

12. 12

    Garnish with sprigs of thyme.