Here's a new (for me) roast chicken recipe that turned out very well - the meat is juicy and tender and the skin and juices are incredible. It's from the Canadian Food Network show The Main with Anthony Sedlak. I don't believe it's on the US Food Network. You can find it at http://foodnetwork.ca. I served it with roasted root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, parsnips, shallots and yet more garlic roasted in olive oil ), and a village-level Meursault.
Forty Clove Chicken
Brine:
3 cups water
3 cups white wine
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tsp whole white pepercorns
6 bay leaves
3-4 parsley stems
1 sprig thyme
1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. sugar
Chicken:
1 3-3.5 lb chicken
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 bulbs garlic, tops cut off lengthwise
4 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1 onion sliced into 1/4 in rings
1/4 c. softened butter
1/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper
To prepare brine, combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Let cool to room temperature. Submerge chicken in brine, weighing down with plate if necessary, let stand overnight in fridge.
Preheat oven to 400F. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Strain brine. reserving solids.
Smear half the butter under the breast skin. Tuck sliced garlic under skin as well. Tuck fresh herbs and brine solids (onion, celery garlic cloves, etc) inside before trussing chicken.
Rub remaining butter into skin and season generously all over with coarse salt and pepper. Arrange onion slices in lightly oiled roasting pan. Place chicken on top. Toss garlic bulbs in olive oil and arrange beside chicken.
Roast in oven, basting occasionally, for about 1 hour or until juices run clear. Rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.