Roasted Chicken

• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the chicken giblets. Remove any excess fat or 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 chicken atop.
• Roast the chicken for 1.5 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 20 minutes. Slice the chicken and serve with veggies.

Notes

• Save your kitchen scraps (vegetable roots, skins, etc, and the carcass and throw them together in a stock pot or instant pot. Simmer overnight or 6 - 8 hours. Alternatively, keep these scraps in a bag in your freezer to make stock later!)
• Local producer Mossycup Farms makes a Poultry Rub - find it here!