"da best" roast chicken

This is a roast chicken I made a few weeks ago, based on Tyler Florence's "Ultimate Chicken" recipe. The pan sauce is especially delicious!

Roast Chicken with Pan Sauce

5 cloves garlic, minced + 1/2 head garlic, trimmed so cloves are exposed
1/4 lb. butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 orange
2 onions, peeled and halved
1/2 bunch each: Fresh oregano, thyme and parsley
6 strips bacon (optional; I didn't use them)
1 roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Preheast oven to 425 F.

Remove giblets (liver, gizzard, etc.) from chicken cavity and save, if desired (gizzard is good for stock!). Rinse inside and outside of chicken well. Pat dry with paper towels, and set aside.

Finely chop 1/2 of herbs (oregano, thyme and parsley). Add herbs and minced garlic to butter, and mash together thoroughly.

Take some of the butter/herb mixture, and stuff it under the skin of the chicken. Take the remaining butter and rub it all over the outside of the chicken. Season inside cavity and outside with salt & pepper.

Stuff cavity with orange, garlic head, 1 halved onion, and remaining herbs. Tie legs together, and place in roasting pan. Add remaining onion and garlic cloves to pan.

Place bacon across the top of the chicken.

Roast for 25 minutes; then remove bacon, baste and cook for at least 25 minutes more, or until the internal temperature of the chicken meat reaches 165 degrees.

Remove from oven, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, prepare Pan Sauce.

Pan Sauce

Roasting pan drippings
2 tbsp. flour
1.5 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup sherry

Skim excess fat from roasting pan drippings (there will be a good amount of fat, due to the butter and chicken fat). Remove onion and garlic from pan.

Heat roasting pan on the stove, add flour to form a paste, and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in chicken broth, and heat until bubbly. Add sherry and cook for about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Carve the breasts off the chicken, serve (as I did) with twice baked potatoes and garlic green beans. Freeze the carcass to make and/or fortify chicken stock later.

TO DO (next time)

1. Beckey thought is was totally delicious, but would like more garlic
2. Skim that gravy fat! It wasn't terrible, but the gravy was a tiny bit greasy.
3. You can really taste the sherry in the gravy. Reduce the quantity if it bothers you. Or, maybe add sherry first (to let it cook off), then flour, then stock.

UPDATE 2007-09-10

More tips:

Pour off fat completely. Use less sherry. Use sherry to deglaze cooking pan FIRST before adding flour. I think the sherry flavor is a bit strong. Or, try using a non-sherry wine, like a sauvignon blanc.