The WHOLE thing

There were no "cluckings" to be heard in my kitchen tonight. Sad news for my raw chicken sitting on the counter. But sacrifices must be made for the good of a GREAT meal. Thank you little chicken.

Roasted Garlic&Herb Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole roasting chicken (mine was about 5 pounds)
1/2 cup roasted garlic (**see below for instructions)
2 1/2 cups water
1 lemon
2 bay leaves
rosemary
salt and pepper
paprika
1 tbs. olive oil

Directions: To prepare the brine, combine roasted garlic, water, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a blender. Squeeze in juice of half a lemon (save other half). Blend well. Stir in bay leaves.
Place the chicken in a plastic ziploc bag. Pour brine all over. Squeeze out all the air from the bag and place it in a big bowl to prevent problems with leakage. Refrigerate 12-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees [F]. Remove chicken from brine and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary all over the chicken. Place the remaining half lemon and some extra rosemary inside chicken cavity.
Roast for 1 1/2 hours or so, or until juices run clear from thigh when pierced with a fork. Let rest for a few minutes so the juices stay in the meat when you served.

**To roast garlic, peel outer layer of garlic bulb and cut off tops to expose cloves. Drizzle olive oil over garlic and cover with foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees [F]. Let cool until they are manageable. Use a fork to gently pull out the tender garlic cloves.
The smell of roasted garlic is definitely one of my faves! Wow.