Herb-Roasted Chicken

Herb-Roasted Chicken

3 1/2 to 4-pound whole broiler chicken
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
garlic salt (you can use garlic cloves and salt if you like, but I prefer to use garlic salt because I've found that the garlic cloves tend to burn and taste gross)
dried basil
ground sage
dried thyme
lemon-pepper seasoning or ground black pepper

Rinse the chicken and place, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Pour melted butter over chicken. Sprinkle with herbs. Roast, uncovered, in a 375° oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is 180°F. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook several years ago, and it's the only way I ever cook a whole chicken. Last Thanksgiving I bought a few turkey breasts while they were on sale and tried this recipe on them (cooking a little longer to account for the larger size), and it was so tender and delicious! Even my son, who doesn't normally eat meat, loves this turkey. The drippings make really great gravy. I used to use the cornstarch and water method for thickening gravy with marginal results, but last fall just before Thanksgiving I discovered this recipe that uses flour, and now my gravy is amazing!