Roast Chicken

Who says that meat can't be cheap? Foster Farms whole young chickens for 69 cents at Ralphs this week. Sure, it's not free range, but it's decent quality.

So here's my roast chicken (based on ATK):

1 young chicken
1 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
Salt and pepper
1 lemon, sliced in 1/2
1 onion, sliced in half
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 Fennel fronds, chopped (optional)
1.5 cups chicken stock
Roasting pan with V-Rack

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Combine butter with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Remove giblets & set aside; rinse and dry chicken. Salt inside. Set in roasting pan.
   
4. In cavity, stuff 1/2 of onion, lemon, rosemary sprig.
5. Put butter under skin, then smear all over outside.
6. Salt and pepper outside.
7. Add remaining chopped veg (onions, carrots, celery, chicken stock, fennel) and giblets to pan.
8. Roast at 450F for 15 minutes, middle rack.
9. Turn down temp to 375F for 45 minutes, or until breast hits 160F. Check thigh too; you can always cut the thighs off and return them to the oven.