How To Roast A Chicken
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken's body cavity and pat the bird dry, inside and out, with paper towels.
Smear the outside and inside of the chicken with butter, then season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper — both inside and out.
Truss the chicken securely with cooking twine. This step is optional, but it will help your roasted chicken cook more evenly.
Roughly chop about half an onion and a single celery stalk and a single medium carrot. Scatter these chopped veggies at the bottom of a roasting pan. These vegetables will be used for making the gravy later on.
Set a roasting rack over the chopped veggies and place the chicken (breast-side-up) onto the rack.
Transfer the roasting pan to the oven. After the chicken has roasted for an hour and 15 minutes, check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh. The thermometer should read at least 165°F. If not, continue roasting, and check again in 15 minutes.
When the chicken is done, remove the roasting pan from the oven, carefully lift out the rack with the roasted chicken on it and transfer the bird to a clean cutting board. Let it rest there for 20 minutes, uncovered, while you make the gravy.
Place the roasting pan with the roasted vegetables on the stovetop. Add a tablespoon of butter and heat over medium heat until the butter melts. Add a tablespoon of flour and stir to form a paste. Now pour about 2 cups of chicken stock or broth into the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until reduced and thickened.
Now strain the gravy through a mesh strainer and season it to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper. Once the gravy is finished and the chicken has rested, you can now carve the bird and serve with the homemade gravy.