Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

One whole chicken
One lemon, pierced all over with a fork, or skewer, then cut in half
Several sprigs fresh parsley
3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 or 3 sprigs fresh oregano
1 sprig fresh rosemary
One garlic clove, unpeeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 425°F. Rinse chicken inside and out, and then pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken liberally all over with olive oil, then sprinkle inside and out with plenty of salt and pepper.

Bend wing tips up and tuck behind. Place remaining ingredients in cavity, then tie ends of legs together with twine. Place in baking dish. If chicken is still cold at this point, let sit at room temperature until warmed up somewhat (can also be prepped the night before and stored in fridge, but still let it warm up a bit prior to roasting.)

Place in oven for 15 minutes, then turn temperature down to 400°F and cook another hour or so until juices run clear, basting once or twice in the meantime.

When cooked through and skin is crispy and honey golden brown, remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes to rest prior to slicing.

An alternative is to rub the outside of the chicken, including under the skin, with a good quality herb pesto, instead of the olive oil. Proceed with rest of recipe as directed.

For an exquisite (and exquisitely easy) gravy, decant liquid from pan into a smaller pot, including brown bits, and remove as much of the fat floating on the surface as possible. Add a roughly equal portion of dry white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce by roughly half, and serve over the sliced chicken.