Gently take two fingers and losen skin from the meat beginning near the cavity. Work fingers around making a pocket between the skin and the meat.
Take a few tablespoons of the prepared butter and place under skin. Gently massage the top of the skin to distribute the butter in an even layer. (see photos above)
Take zested lemon and slice into quarters. Place in cavity of chicken. Add the whole cloves of garlic and sprigs of herbs.
1 sprigs fresh rosemary, parsley and thyme, 2 cloves garlic
Pull legs together to the center and tie together with twine
Place lemon slices on the bottom of an ungreased baking dish. Place chicken on top of lemons, breast side up.
1 lemon
Rub remaining butter over the surface of the chicken, covering breast, thighs, legs and wings. You don't need to worry about the bottom side.
Loosely cover chicken with foil
Bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until chicken is fully cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 45 additional minutes.
Remove from oven and lightly tent with foil. Allow chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Pour any drippings in the bottom of the pan into a small pitcher. Pour over sliced chicken, if desired.
Notes
Any size of chicken will work for this recipe. Most chickens vary in size from 3-5 pounds. The cooking time will vary depending on the size.
Remember to adjust the cooking time based on the size of the chicken and use a meat thermometer to ensure it is fully cooked.
Variations
Feel free to change out the herbs using as many or as few as you'd like
The garlic and the herbs turn very dark on the roasted chicken. However, they aren't burnt and offer a lot of flavor. If you'd prefer just golden skin, cut the butter mixture in half and only place the butter under the skin. Rub a small amount of olive oil over the skin instead of the butter. Bake as directed.
Replace the lemon with an orange. Use the zest in the butter and line the baking dish with orange slices.