Pop's Famous Roast Chicken - 2 hrs. and 30 minutes - Makes 4 servings

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Ingredients:

1 (9-pound) large whole roasting chicken, giblets removed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as, rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, or poultry blend, finely chopped, plus more stems, to taste, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced

1/2 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch vertical slices, divided

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced, divided

2 celery stalks, including celery leaves, sliced, divided

1 lemon rind, sliced into pieces

2 cups water, plus more, to taste

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Directions:

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

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Step 2 - Rinse the chicken with cold running water and pat it dry with paper towels.

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Step 3 - In a medium bowl, add the softened butter, the chopped fresh herbs, the kosher salt, the black pepper, and the garlic and stir to combine.

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Step 4 - In the bottom of a roasting pan with a rack, add 3/4 of the onions, 3/4 of the carrots, and 3/4 of the celery and top with the rack.

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Step 5 - Place the chicken on the rack and insert the remaining onions, the remaining carrots, the remaining celery, the extra fresh herb stems, and 1/2 of the lemon rind slices into the chicken cavity. Do not overfill or the chicken will not cook properly.

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Step 6 - Add the remaining lemon rind slices around the outside of the whole chicken.

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Step 7 - Tuck the wing tips under the chicken.

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Step 8 - Use your hands and the handle of a long spoon to gently separate as much of the skin as possible from the whole chicken, including the thigh and the leg area. Be sure to leave all of the skin intact with no tears.

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Step 9 - Use your hands to spoon in and evenly spread 1/2 of the butter mixture under the chicken skin.

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Step 10 - Evenly spread the remaining butter mixture over the top of the chicken skin.

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Step 11 - Use kitchen twine to tightly tie the ends of the chicken legs together.

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Step 12 - Add the meat thermometer to the thickest part of the chicken and if applicable, set the alarm temperature to 165 degrees F.

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Step 13 - Roast the chicken, uncovered, about 45 minutes.

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Step 14 - Add the water to the roasting pan under the chicken, to allow the skin to crisp. If the water evaporates during the remaining roasting time, add 1 cup of the water at a time to prevent burning.

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Step 15 - Roast the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, about 2 hours. If the chicken is getting too brown prior to reaching 160 degrees F, loosely tent it with aluminum foil.

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Step 16 - Transfer the roasting pan to a wire rack, leave the chicken covered, and keep the meat thermometer inserted.

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Step 17 - Let the chicken rest until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, then remove the meat thermometer and discard the foil.

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Step 18 - Carve the chicken and serve.

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Submitted by Vitalia Bryn-Pundyk, M.ED/DTM/DPP

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