Roasting a whole chicken

     I LOVE roasting a whole chicken.  I roasted one this weekend, and could have eaten the whole bird myself, if it wasn't for having to share with my spouse.  It's easy, tasty and versatile.

     I used a 3-4 lb. Harvestland Chicken.  Cleaned it, drizzled some olive oil over the top and then rubbed in some black pepper, crushed dried basil and garlic powder.  Put it in a covered roasting pan at 185 degrees for 3 hours, then turned heat up to 250 for 2.5 hours.  When I checked it, the meat was pulling away from the bone, so I turned the heat up to 300, and cooked it uncovered for about 30 minutes.  Put the lid back on it, turned the oven off and let it sit until it was time to eat.  Seriously!  Seriously one of the tastiest chickens I have roasted.
    
      I picked the bird apart, saving the juicest and yummiest morsels for my salad that night, and ate leftover chicken for 2 days in all sorts of ways, heck I was in there pulling out pieces to eat before breakfast.  Delicious!  Wish I had taken a picture!