Seriously Good Roasted Chicken

I was flipping through our cookbooks today looking for ceviche & tuna tartar recipes for an upcoming party. Along the way I found a recipe for an oven roasted chicken in the Simply French cookbook by Joel Robuchon called, "Grandmother's Roasted Chicken". I had the defrosted chicken all ready to go but had to cut some corners on the other ingredients since this was unplanned. I'll list both the recipe's and what I used. I'm sure following the recipe to the letter would be even better.

We just finished eating it and I'm so happy with the way it turned out, I'm sharing the chicken recipe here but not the finishing sauce since we didn't make it.

Preheat oven to 425 F

Cookbook Ingredients: free range chicken with neck reserved, about 5 pounds; unsalted butter, softened; sea salt & freshly ground white pepper; 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half; sprig of fresh rosemary & sprig of fresh thyme.

(Jenn's Ingredients: fresh, whole chicken, giblets removed, salted butter, kosher salt, black pepper, minced garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, white onion sliced)

Rub the skin of the chicken with the butter and season it with salt & pepper inside and out.
(I softened the butter and mixed it with the salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder and the dried herbs and brushed it liberally all over the chicken. I also put onion slices and extra salt & pepper in the cavity).

Place the chicken on its side in an oval baking dish. Alongside the chicken, scatter the reserved neck and garlic cloves along with the rosemary and thyme (I just added sliced onion and garlic around the chicken).

Place the baking dish in the center of the oven and roast, uncovered for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken, turn it onto its other side and roast for another 20 minutes. Baste again, turning the chicken breast side up and roast for 20 minutes more for a total of one hour roasting time. By this time, the skin should be a deep golden color. Reduce the heat to 375 F and baste again. Roast until the juices run clear when you pierce a thigh...about 15 minutes more.

Remove the chicken from the oven and the dish; season again with salt & pepper (I omitted this second seasoning step since I had more salt & pepper in the rub). Transfer the chicken to a platter and place it on an angle with the head down, tail up (you can use a balled up piece of foil to get it propped up appropriately). This heightens the flavor by allowing the juices to flow down through the breast meat. Cover with loose foil and put it back in the oven, heat off & door ajar, for between 15 and 30 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook as it rests. During this time, they suggest using the drippings from the original roasting pan to make a sauce. If anyone wants this part of the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

Remove, carve and serve immediately. We paired this with mashed, baked cheesy potatoes and creamed spinach. Best roast chicken!