Best Roast Chicken

This is one of our favorite "go to" meals that the whole family loves and it is fairly simple which I always appreciate!  I do NOT like any kind of chicken on a bone (seriously wouldn't even eat chicken if it was on a bone until just a few years ago).  However I always have to put my big girl panties on to cook this and then bleach the heck out of my counter tops usually more than once!  But it is GOOOOD and it looks super impressive too!

I got the recipe from here and here it is...

Roast Chicken

3-4 lb. chicken
1 lemon, halved or quartered
1 head garlic, cut crosswise
1 bunch thyme (25-30 stems)
2 tblsp. butter
Salt
Pepper
Carrots
Potatoes (I used sweet potatoes instead of white)
Onions
¼ cup chicken broth (I use more like 1/2 or 3/4 cup and make sure you stir up the vegetables or the top ones will get crispy and won't cook through.)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Dry the chicken with paper towels before beginning. It helps the butter, salt and pepper stick to the surface of the skin. You could use olive oil if you want, but the butter gives the skin a richer color and helps it crisp up better than oil.

Start by lightly salting and peppering the inside of the chicken. Then place the lemon, garlic and about 2/3 of the thyme into the chicken. Spread the butter all over the surface of the skin (I just use my fingers) and then liberally salt and pepper the skin.

Prepare the vegetables by cutting the carrots and potatoes into bite-size chunks. Roughly cut the onions into large pieces. Place all the vegetables in the bottom of a roasting pan. Add the chicken broth and scatter the remaining thyme over. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the pan. The vegetables act like a roasting rack to keep the chicken off the surface of the pan. Pretty neat, huh?

Cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil. Allow the chicken to rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. If desired, return the vegetables to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes while the chicken rests.

***And for tips for those that don't like handling chicken (like me!) or haven't ever cooked a whole chicken, remember when you buy a whole chicken the "innards" will be in a bag in the cavity of the chicken and you must remove that and discard them before stuffing the lemon and thyme inside.  Yep its gross but do it quickly and don't think about it.  Also, have the husband carve it afterwards...it's a daddy job!  Did I mention I don't like dealing with chicken on a bone?!?!