Roast Chicken with Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 4 1/2-pound chicken
• About 4 tablespoons olive oil, depending on the size of your Dutch oven
• 1 bunch thyme
• 1 head garlic, skin on, cut in half
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat the inside of a Dutch oven or a high-sided glass baking dish with olive oil.
2. If the chicken has giblets tucked inside, take them out and discard them. Slick the cavity with olive oil, then season it with salt and pepper. Fill the cavity with the garlic and the thyme bunch.
3. Set the chicken in the prepared pot, then smooth a little olive oil over the skin. Sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes.
4. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F, and continue roasting for another hour and 10 minutes. By then, the skin should be browned, and the juices should look clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a knife.
5. Take the chicken out of the oven. Set a small bowl at the end of a platter. Lift the chicken from the Dutch oven and lean it on the bowl with the breast facing down and the tail angled down against the bowl. Drape foil over the top and let it stand for 10 minutes; this helps the juices move into the breast meat.
6. Carve the chicken, then serve.