Roasted Chicken

• 5-6 lbs whole chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tbsp (¼ stick) butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 6 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
• Olive oil

Remove the chicken giblets. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Salt the chicken all over and keep in refrigerator for 2 days before starting. When ready to start take it out 1-2 hours before.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

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.

Add the chicken to a roasting pan and roast it for ½ hour. Toss the onions, carrots, and fennel with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Add it to the roasting pan and put it back in oven.

Roast the chicken and the veggies for 30-60 more minutes, 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 about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.