Ina's Perfect Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 (5 to 6 pound) of roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch of fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

1 lemon, halved

1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 tablespoons of (1/4 stick) butter, melted

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out.

Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry.

Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the
cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the
garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle
again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string
and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions,
carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs
of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan
and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run

clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and
vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20
minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the
vegetables.

By: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook