Herb Roasted Chicken

Sometimes a little visit to the store will inspire you. In this case it was a brief encounter with a roaster chicken at the local Food Lion. I was strolling through the aisles looking for some inspiration when I saw it. A $2 chicken. It immediately hit me. Time to make a roasted chicken! Dana loves Thanksgiving, so I used it as an excuse to make Thanksgiving in August. It was perfect.

Herb Roasted Chicken

1 Whole Roasting Chicken
3 tbs butter, room temperature
1 tbs fresh thyme
1 tbs fresh sage
1/2 tbs fresh rosemary
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil
1 head garlic, halved
2 carrots, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
1 medium onion, quartered

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

This recipe started with a super cheap bird. You can find deals on whole chickens at most supermarkets. You get a lot of meat for not a lot of money. This whole bird was $2.12. Not bad for a nice meal for four.

Unwrap the bird, remove the gizzards from the cavity, rinse with cold water and pat completely dry.

Then using your hands, rub the room temperature butter all over the skin of the bird. Then season with half of the dry herbs and all of the poultry seasoning.

Cut the veggies and place the carrots, celery, remaining fresh herbs, half of the garlic and half of the onion in a roasting pan. Cover with the olive oil and toss so that all of the veggies are coated. Then stuff the remaining onion and garlic into the cavity of the bird. Place the bird on top of the veggies. Use them as a rack to keep the bird off the bottom of the pan.