Basic Whole Roast Chicken

I found this recipe in my 125 Best Chicken Recipes cookbook and made it for supper this evening.

Preheat oven to 325F (160C).

• 1 roasting chicken (about 5 lbs)
• Half a lemon
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, quartered
•  1 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustanrd
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp crushed dried sage

Remove gibblets and neck from chicken.  Rinse and pat dry inside and out; rub inside and out with lemon.  I didn't have a fresh lemon so I rubbed lemon juice inside and out.

Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper.  Place onion in cavity.  Tie legs together with string.  Tuck wings under back.  Rather than tying the legs, I closed the chicken with a toothpick after I put the onion in.

Place breast-side up on a rack in roasting pan.

Combine butter, mustard, thyme and sage, spread over chicken.

Roast in preheated oven for about two hours or until juices run clean which chicken is pierced. 

Transfer chicken to a platter. 

Tent with foil and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before carving for juices to setting into meat.

I served it with Harvest Chicken Rice Sidekicks.

This was easy to make.  Despite the strong ingredients, I didn't find that any of them came through (I must admit I was nervous about putting a whole onion inside the chicken).  The chicken was tender and the skin was a bit crispy in places.  I don't eat onions but put them in a bowl for Gord and he liked them.

I would make this again and Gord said he'd like it if I made it again.