Best Roast Chicken!

You need:

• Whole raw chicken
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh spices (Thyme, sage, parsley etc)
• Lemon
• Garlic
• Garlic powder
• Mom's Special Seasoning
• 8 tbs butter

To do:
Salt chicken with Kosher salt, outside, inside & under the skin.  Cover and allow to sit in refrigerator for at at least 1 hour per pound (5 lbs = 5 hours) but preferable overnight.  When finished, rinse salt THOROUGHLY.   Pat dry and return, uncovered to refrigerator for at least 2 hours, 3-4 is ideal.

Remove chicken from refrigerator and heat oven to 450 (or 425 on convection setting)
*** For a 6:30 pm dinner, best to start heating oven and pulling chicken from refrigerator at 3:30, get chicken into oven by 4

While oven heats, combine seasonings (1-3 tbs chopped fresh herbs, 2 shakes M.S.S., 1-2 shakes garlic POWDER - DO NOT ADD SALT) with soft butter (or microwave butter from refrigerator for 15 seconds to soften).  Coat chicken with M.S.S. then and rub softened butter mix generously over and under the skin.

Coat cavity with M.S.S. followed by butter mix then stuff with 1 whole lemon, cut into 8 pieces (half, then quarter each half), 3-6 whole peeled cloves of garlic, & fresh herbs.

Prepare baking dish by generously coating bottom of dish in salt (unless you plan on using the drippings for gravy) then place a baking rack in dish.  Salt is used to prevent drippings splatter.

Once chicken is prepared and oven is heated, place chicken into prepared baking dish and bake in 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  Turn heat down to 350 (325 convection) and continue cooking approximately 20 minutes per lb.

Chicken should turn a golden brown and juices run clear.  If using a thermometer, chicken breast should be cooked to 160, thighs/legs to 180.

Allow chicken to sit 5-10 minutes minimum before carving.