Salt-rubbed Roast Chicken With Lemon & Thyme

Total Time: 9 hrs Preparation Time: 8 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped freesh thyme, stems reserved to stuff into the cavity
• 3 1/2 lbs chicken, excess fat trimmed,rinsed inside and out and patted dry with paper towels
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Recipe

• 1 mix the salt, pepper and thyme.
• 2 lay the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan and rub the mixture all over the skin on both sides.
• 3 refrigerate uncovered overnight or for at least 8 hours.
• 4 oven to 400 degrees f.
• 5 put the lemon quarters, garlic and thyme stems inside the cavity of the chicken.
• 6 brush the chicken with some of the melted butter.
• 7 roast, basting every 20 minutes or so (first with melted butter, then with any fat and juices accumulating in the pan).
• 8 the chicken should be done in about an hour, but make sure by testing the thigh for a temperature of 170 degrees f.
• 9 let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.