Preheat oven to 425 degrees, put shelf on lower middle position.

Prepare chicken: wash if necessary and remove any pin feathers, remove giblets and neck (if there.) Salt and pepper the inside of the bird. Stuff with the peelings from the onions, a lemon if desired, fennel fronds (if using fennel), and herb of your choice. Truss your chicken – see my post on How to Truss a Chicken in One Minute for slides.

Scatter vegetables in pan. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Salt & pepper, if desired. Place the chicken on top, breast side up. Bake for about 15 to 30 minutes, then rub the top with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (Because this is a basic chicken with no additional rubs, herb butter, etc., the salt and pepper are important to the flavoring and the texture of the skin.)

Bake about an hour and a half until the thigh registers 165 to 170 when a thermometer is placed in the thickest part of the thigh. Be careful the thermometer is not hitting a bone.)  In a smaller oven, it may be necessary to rotate the chicken halfway through the cooking process so it is cooking evenly on all sides.

Remove Chicken from the pan, place on a platter, tent lightly with foil, and rest for 20 minutes. Remove vegetables and place with chicken. Defat juices and pass with the chicken.

If desired, after defatting chicken juices, pan may be deglazed with a cup of broth, scraping up browned bits. Bring up to a boil, reduce heat slightly, and simmer for five minutes or so to concentrate flavors. Strain, pressing on any remaining solids. Taste for seasoning. Add to the juices.

Note: Check the vegetables now and then throughout the cooking process to make certain they are not getting overly dark or in danger of burning. Add a bit of water to the pan if necessary.

Lemon Variation:

The lemon flavor can very easily be brought forward in this dish. Use two lemons.

Slice one lemon and add to the vegetables on the bottom of the pan.

Zest the the other lemon, cut in half, squeeze, and reserve the juice and zest. Place the two lemon halves inside the bird. Mix lemon zest with about a tablespoon of butter, a 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a grind or two of pepper and work under the skin of the breasts, as far down into the leg as possible.

For sauce, add the reserved lemon juice to the drippings and reduce as suggested in the recipe. White wine can be substituted for the broth.