Lemon Roasted Chicken

From ATK.

1 (3-1/2-4 pound) whole chicken, brined if desired
1 lemon, cut into quarters
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
5T unsalted butter
2T fresh parsley, tarragon, or chives
salt and pepper
2-1/4c low sodium chicken broth
2T fresh lemon juice

1. Adjust an over rack tot he middle position and heat the oven to 375. Remove the giblets and and excess fat from the cavity. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the lemon quarters and garlic inside the cavity.
2. Mix 2T butter, 1T parsley, 1/4t salt, and 1/4t pepper together. Spread the butter under the skin and over the breast of the chicken (loosen the skin first). Season with salt and pepper.
3. Spray a V rack with vegetable oil spray and set inside a roasting pan. Lay the chicken in the rack, breast side up. Melt 1T butter and brush over the chicken. Pour 1c broth into the roasting pan; roast for 40 min.
4. Increase the temperature to 450; rotate the chicken in the oven, and continue to roast until the thickest part of the breast registers 170, about 30 min longer.
5. Tip the chicken so the juice from the cavity runs into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 min.
6. Meanwhile, skim any fat from the roasting pan using a spoon. Stir in the remaining 1-1/4c broth, scraping up any browned bits. Pour the juice into a saucepan and simmer until thickened and reduced to about 1/2c, 5-10 min.
7. Stir in any accumulated chicken juices. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the remaining 2T butter, one piece at a time. Off the heat, stir in the remaining 1T parsley and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Carve the chicken, discarding the lemon and garlic. Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.

I started this at home and got it cooking. I called my friend, who just had a baby, to see how everyone was doing on the first day home when they invited us to come up. I said I would bring the chicken!

Despite some problems (it cooked for a LOT longer than 30 minutes since it sat for about an hour), it was FANTASTIC. The lemon and garlic stuffed into the cavity brought a lot of flavor, and this was an especially moist bird.

Four people ate the whole thing--and this was a LARGE bird; probably larger than the recipe suggests.