Ingredients

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting 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 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and
leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. 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. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt,
pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan
and place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, 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.