Jill's Herb Roasted Chicken

I had a whole chicken thawed in my refrigerator and was trying to decide how to cook it. I thought about just putting it in the crock pot, then shredding the meat for BBQ chicken sandwiches, but ended up deciding to find a recipe for roasting it. I decided on the one below and thought it came out very nicely - although it seemed like a lot of work when I was trying to stuff the butter mess under the skin!! That was something I apparently need practice at, I made a huge mess all over! I didn't have thawed butter, so couldn't do the small chunks and ended up with a butter paste instead. I didn't bother with the gravy since it's not something my husband is a fan of.

Now I have finally cooked up everything I had thawed out in the refrigerator, and we can hopefully finish up the leftovers and then think of some new and tasty dishes to make and enjoy! :) 

A beautiful, farm fresh chicken from My Dad & Me Family Farm.

All the seasoning ingredients.

Making a big mess smearing the seasoned butter all over!

Roasted and beautifully browned!

Jill's Herb Roasted Chicken by jearn on AllRecipes.com

Ingredients
1 lime, juiced (or 1 TBS lemon juice)
1 apple, sliced
1 (5 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chicken seasoning
1 tablespoon ground thyme
1 tablespoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 cup softened butter, cut into teaspoon-size chunks
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken broth
1 onion, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle lime (or lemon) juice over the apple slices. Stuff apples into the cavity of the chicken.
3. Mix 2 minced garlic cloves, chicken seasoning, thyme, sage, and paprika together in a bowl. Add butter to the garlic mixture; gently toss to coat the butter in the herb mixture. Stuff about 2/3 of the butter pieces under the skin. Coat the outside of the chicken with the remaining butter.
4. Combine chicken broth, onion, and remaining 2 cloves garlic in the bottom of a roasting pan. Put chicken onto a rack in the roasting pan with the breast down.
5. Roast chicken, basting with pan juices every 10 to 15 minutes, in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue cooking until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 hour and 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before carving.
6. If desired, pour the juices from the pan into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir flour into the juices; cook and stir until the juices thicken into a gravy, about 5 minutes. Serve with the chicken.