Julia Child's Roast Chicken
(sounds complicated, but more about being a bit time consuming than complicated)
Ingredients
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup carrots (finely diced)
⅓ cup onion (finely diced)
⅓ cup celery (finely diced)
1 teaspoon thyme, savory or mixed herbs, or 2 fresh thyme or savory sprigs (or even rosemary if you prefer)
1 chicken (3 /2 to 4 pounds)
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Parsley stems
Celery leaves
6 slices lemon (1/8-inch-thick)
½ cup onion (sliced)
½ cup carrots (sliced)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
¾ cup chicken stock or broth
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven(or pit!!) to 425 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet. Add the diced carrots, onion and celery and cook over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the herbs.
Step 2
Wash the chicken rapidly inside and out with hot water and pat thoroughly dry. Pull the neck skin up over the breast and secure it to the back with a toothpick. Salt and pepper the cavity and spoon in the cooked vegetables, a handful of parsley stems and celery leaves and the lemon slices. Massage the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of the butter, then truss it. Alternatively, tie the ends of the drumsticks together and tuck the wings under the body.
Step 3
Choose a flameproof roasting pan that is about 1 inch larger than the chicken. Salt the chicken all over and set it breast up on a rack in the pan.
Step 4
Roast the chicken in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, as follows:At 15 minutes Brush the chicken with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Scatter the sliced onion and carrot all around. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.At 45 minutes Brush the lemon juice over the chicken. If necessary, add 1/2 cup of water to the vegetables to prevent burning.At 60 minutes Baste with the pan juices. Test for doneness: The drumsticks should move easily in their sockets; their flesh should feel somewhat soft. If not, continue roasting, basting and testing every 7 to 8 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees.
Step 5
Spear the chicken through the shoulders; lift to drain; if the last of the juices run clear yellow, the chicken is done. Let rest on a carving board for 15 minutes; discard the string.
Step 6
Spoon all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the juices in the pan. Add the stock and boil until lightly syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain; you will have just enough to bathe each serving with a fragrant spoonful.