Roast Chicken With Garlic Croutons

• day-old French bread, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes9 ounces
• garlic, peeled & cut in half↗3 cloves
• whole chickens1 lb

  (3 1/2 lb)

• sea salt↗

  to taste

• black pepper↗
• dried thyme↗1 teaspoon
• lemon↗1⁄2

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. 2

   Squeeze the lemon half into the chicken cavity then generously salt and pepper cavity, sprinkle in the thyme, and place the lemon half inside.

3. 3

   Roast chicken, breast side up, at 450 degrees F in a large baking dish for about 50 minutes or until golden and almost cooked through, basting a couple of times.

4. 4

   After 50 minutes, add the bread cubes and garlic to the roasting dish and stir around in the drippings a bit; roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until chicken drumstick is easy to move around.

5. 5

   Remove chicken from the baking dish, salt and pepper it to taste, and let it rest on a warm platter, breast side down (to allow juices to settle).

6. 6

   Stir croutons and garlic together again (mashing the garlic as little as you go) in the chicken juices/drippings, and return to the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes until they are a deep golden color and crispy.

7. 7

   Carve chicken and serve on a platter; surround with the crouton/garlic mixture and drizzle any remaining chicken juices onto the croutons.

8. 8

   Croutons are AWESOME served warm on a cool green salad!