Simple Lemon Chicken

Based on a recipe on Bowl of Delicious

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (note the weight because it will take 20 min/lb plus 15)
• 2 lemons 
• 5 cloves garlic- 3 minced, 2 cut in half 
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme- 4 just leaves (roughly, don’t spend too much time on this), 2 reserved
• 2 large onions 
• ½ stick butter 
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475. 
2. Melt butter in small bowl (1 min in microwave at power 5, cover with paper towel just in case)
3. Zest the lemons into the butter (meaning, zest goes in and zested lemons set aside)
4. Slice the lemons in halves and squeeze out the juice into a small bowl.
5. Add minced garlic,  thyme leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 
6. Thickly slice the onions (so not chop!) and place in bottom of enameled cast iron dutch oven. 
7. Prepare chicken by removing giblets from cavity, rinsing off, and patting dry (or not, whatever you prefer). 
8. Liberally season the cavity with salt and pepper.
   Cut the lemons in half; reserve juice and save rinds. 
9. The butter mixture will have hardened slightly by now. Using your hands, slather the mixture liberally over every part of the chicken and under the breast skin (being careful not to tear the skin). 
10. Place chicken in dutch oven on top of sliced onions.
    Stuff the cavity with the lemon rinds, remaining garlic, and thyme sprig/stems. 
11. Tie the legs of the chicken together tightly using kitchen twine. 
12. Pour reserved lemon juice over the chicken.
    Roast chicken for 15 minutes at 475, then reduce heat to 350, cover almost completely leaving like an inch open, and cook for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.