Ingredients
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3 tablespoons kosher salt
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1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
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2 tablespoons chopped freesh thyme, stems reserved to stuff into the cavity
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3 1/2 lbs chicken, excess fat trimmed,rinsed inside and out and patted dry with paper towels
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1 lemon, quartered
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4 cloves garlic
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Mix the salt, pepper and thyme.
- Lay the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and rub the mixture all over the skin on both sides.
- Refrigerate uncovered overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Oven to 400 degrees F.
- Put the lemon quarters, garlic and thyme stems inside the cavity of the chicken.
- Brush the chicken with some of the melted butter.
- Roast, basting every 20 minutes or so (first with melted butter, then with any fat and juices accumulating in the pan).
- The chicken should be done in about an hour, but make sure by testing the thigh for a temperature of 170 degrees F.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.