Garlic Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 (4 pound) whole roasting chicken
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature divided
• salt
• 1 medium onion, cut into chunks
• 3 to 4 sprigs of rosemary plus Tablespoons finely-chopped rosemary
• 2 leeks, cut into chunks
• 1/2 acorn squash, peeled, (seeds removed), cut into small chunks
• 4 whole garlic bulbs,tops chopped off to open them up
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Choose a chicken weighing around 4 pounds.
• Organic, free range chickens are the tastiest.
• Ok to substitute your favorite vegetables to roast.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Have ready a roasting dish, large enough to hold the chicken and vegetables.
3. Clean the chicken, by washing in cold water and removing the neck, liver, and gizzards from inside the chicken cavity.
4. You can freeze for later use or discard.
5. Place the clean chicken onto a plate and dry well with paper towels, inside and outside.
6. Rub outside of chicken with 1 tablespoon of butter.
7. Rub inside of chicken cavity with 1 teaspoon of butter and sprinkle cavity with salt.
8. Place chicken, breast side up, in the roasting pan.
9. Stuff the inside of the chicken cavity with onion chunks and rosemary sprigs.
10. Arrange the vegetables in the roasting pan around outside of chicken; set aside.
11. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt together the remaining butter, olive oil, chopped rosemary, and minced garlic, stirring until combined, and then remove from heat.
12. Drizzle the rosemary-butter mixture over chicken and vegetables until the butter mixture is all used up.
13. Place into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
14. After 15 minutes, turn the heat down to 350F.
15. Baste the chicken and vegetables with the pan juices.
16. Tent lightly with aluminum foil over the roasting pan.
17. Bake for one hour longer. Baste every 20 minutes with the juice from the pan.
18. The skin will start to crisp up and get golden brown.
19. Continue to cook until the chicken is done.
20. The chicken is cooked when the thigh and breast registers an internal temperature of 165 F. on your meat thermometer (juices will run clear when cut with the tip of a knife).
21. Remove chicken from oven and transfer to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Place the cooked vegetables in the turned off oven to keep warm while cooked chicken is resting.
22. At serving time, slice the chicken into serving pieces, place on the serving platter, and place vegetables along the sides.
23. Drizzle pan juices on top of chicken.