The Best Roasted Chicken Recipe You HAVE to Try!

So for a little while now, we've been on the hunt to find the best way to roast a whole chicken! There are so many different methods and recipes! Since we began raising pastured chickens earlier this year, it's been our goal to discover an awesome way to cook them up! Well...after trying various recipes, we FINALLY discovered one that BLEW. OUR. MINDS! We wanted to share it with you!

The method involves soaking the bird in a brine and results in a scrumptiously moist chicken with a delightful butter and herb flavor! Keep in mind that it does take 12 hours to prepare the bird in the brine.

Butter & Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe

BRINE

1 gallon cold water

¾ cup salt

⅔ cup sugar

¼ cup olive oil

CHICKEN PREP

1. Mix all ingredients into a large pot or bucket filled with cold water. Leave room for it to rise once the bird goes in.

2. Make sure giblets are removed.

3. Submerge chicken in brine and leave 12 hrs to overnight.

CHICKEN

1 3-5lb whole chicken

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Large bunch fresh thyme. Dried is okay, but just use less.

1 lemon halved. You can also leave 4 thin slices to save as a garnish later. Just to make it fancy-looking!

1 Garlic head cut in half crosswise. You can leave the skin on.

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 yellow onion quartered--do remove the skins.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Remove chicken from brine. Rinse chicken inside and out then pat dry.

3. Season chicken liberally inside and out with salt & pepper.

4. Place in large roasting pan and liberally brush with melted butter. The next thing is really worth taking a second to do. Get up under the skin and slide a few pads of butter there! The word butter is in this recipe for a reason!!

5. Stuff cavity with both halves of lemon, thyme, and the garlic.

6. Tie legs together with kitchen string and fold wing tips under breast.

7. Scatter onion quarters around chicken.

8. Roast chicken for 1-1½ hours basting every 15 minutes until juices run clear (165 degrees F).

9. Get super excited, let your mouth water while you wait, and then enjoy!