Roast Chicken

I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday.
Henry IV

La Cafatiere French Press

Well this recipe may not take care of world poverty as the mentioned quote above but it is an awesome cheap recipe that I make alot! When I first got married I wanted to find an inexpensive recipe that was decently healthy that could be made over and over with the same results.  I have to admit I'm not a huge meat person but I love this recipe.  It's easy and affordable.  It's a great recipe to put together and throw in the oven after work.  It tastes great with brown or wild rice and the broth the chicken gives off while cooking makes a really great pan gravy base.  The leftovers are just as good on top of a spinach salad or chopped up for chicken and rice!  Enjoy!

Roast Chicken:
Ingredients:
1 Lemon
1 Onion
1 HEAD of garlic
A sprig of Thyme (if you don't have this on hand you can use ground thyme powder, look for the italicized description on how to use it below)
A half a stick of butter
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
Good amount of salt and pepper
1 whole chicken (I usually try to get around 4 or 5 lbs)

Take chicken out of package and remove bag inside of giblets and such (this is the gross part!)
Rinse chicken under cold water, make sure to rinse inside cavity
Remove chicken a pat dry with several paper towels (this will help the seasoning to stick)
Chop into quarters lemon and onion
Cut off top of garlic so all cloves are exposed
Stuff the inside of the chicken with the garlic, onion, lemon and thyme sprig
(if you are using thyme powder sprinkle the onions with this before stuffing inside)
Place chicken in roasting pan, you can tie up legs if you'd like but I usually don't have to
In small bowl melt butter
Add salt and pepper and lemon juice (if using powdered thyme add a little to this)
Using basting brush (or your hands if needed) baste the top of the chicken with some of the butter mixture (make sure to leave some for later)
Also make sure to get under the skin of the breast area with the butter mixture (sometimes you will need to cut a few slits in the skin to do this)
Place chicken in oven and cook according to directions (usually the directions on mine are 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes per pound, so it's usually around a 2 hour cooking time for a 4-5 lb bird)
Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes (this seems like a waste of time but it is really important as it will allow the juices to distribute and make for a juicier chicken)
Remove the onion, garlic and lemon from inside and throw away
Serve and Enjoy!!!!