Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Smear the butter all over the bird with your hands. Put the chicken in a roasting pan that will accommodate it with room to spare. Season liberally with salt and pepper and squeeze over the chicken’s skin the juice of the lemon.
3. Put the herbs and garlic inside the cavity, together with the squeezed-out lemon halves—this will add a fragrant, lemony flavor to the finished dish.
4. Roast the chicken in the oven for 10–15 minutes. Baste, then turn down the oven temperature to 375° and roast for a further 30–45 minutes with further occasional bastings. The bird should be golden brown all over with a crisp skin and have buttery, lemony juices of a nut-brown color in the bottom of the pan.
5. Serve simply with rice, lentils or roasted vegetables.