Garlic Basil Roasted Chicken

Roasting a whole chicken is no more difficult than doing individual chicken breasts. Using a compound or herb butter is a great way to add flavour to roasted chicken. Putting butter under the skin and on the skin will allow for a really, moist chicken.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (3-5 lbs), giblets removed

3/4 cup of butter, softened/room temperature

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup of fresh basil, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper

Inside the chicken cavity:

1 lemon, cut into quarters

4 whole cloves of garlic

bunch of basil stems

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400F. In a bowl, mix together the softened butter, garlic and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Season the inside of the chicken cavity with salt and pepper. Add the basil stems, garlic cloves and lemon pieces.

Step 3: Lift the skin on the chicken breast side slightly, enough to push some of the basil butter inwards. Push about 1/3 of the butter under the skin and then use the rest to put on the entire chicken. Use kitchen twine or rope to tie up the chicken legs.

Step 4: Cook for an hour and half, checking the internal temperature at the thigh at 1 hour. Depending on the size of the chicken, it could take 1 hour or longer than an hour and a half. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 165-170 F.

Step 5: When finished, let rest on a large plate for 10-15 minutes before cutting.