Herb Roasted Whole Chicken

Wow, this is hands down the best non-fried chicken I've probably ever had! The skin was crispy, and the meat was tender. At first I thought a whole chicken would be hard to do, but it was so easy! And it's also cheap if you get the chicken on sale. I bought mine for $4.50. Try it! you'll be glad you did!

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
1/2 tablespoon chopped sage leaves (I used Tarragon. Any sweet herb will do.)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves (reserve the parsley stems)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon, quartered
2 bay leaves
**All of these herbs I used were dry. I just ignored the parsley stems.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Throw away the innards unless you want to make gravy. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Season well inside and out with the salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, thyme, sage, parsley and olive oil. Rub the olive oil and herb blend into the cavity of the chicken as well as all over the exterior. Place the parsley stems into the cavity of the chicken, and squeeze each lemon quarter into the chicken and place the rind in as well. Put the bay leaves inside the chicken and place the bird in a roasting pan or a baking dish with the drumsticks sticking up, and put it into the oven. Roast for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is golden brown, and the juices run clear. If you have a kitchen thermometer, the chicken should register 160-165 degrees. (My chicken took 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before carving.