• 1 chicken, about 3 pounds
• 1 lemon, halved
• thyme
• rosemary
• bay leaf
• minced garlic
• 2 T butter, softened
• chicken stock
• salt & pepper

Start by brining your chicken – it’s a little extra work but so worth it when you are biting into moist, white chicken meat!!!!  I just put my chicken in a large bowl and mixed about 3/4 c salt with cold water.  Cover the chicken with water.  Put bowl in refrigerator. Today I only had it in the brine about 3 or 4 hours.   Make sure you rinse the chicken REALLY well before you cook so that it isn’t a just salt block!!!!

Preheat oven to 400. (I used an electric roaster – but you still preheat!)   Season the chicken with salt & pepper.  In a small bowl, mix the juice of half the lemon, thyme, rosemary and garlic.  Place the bay leaf and the lemon half inside the chicken.  Pour juice mixture into the cavity.  Rub 1 T of the butter all over the chicken.  Squeeze other half of lemon juice on top.  Put lemon half and 2nd T of butter inside chicken.  Pour a little chicken stock over bird.

Roast until temperature of chicken is at least 165 (some people say 180 – your call) and the juices of the chicken run clear.  Let chicken rest about 10-15 minutes before carving.

It was sooooo moist!!!  No left-overs here!