Perfect Roasted Chicken

Stop the presses: I am about to make a BOLD claim. This was, hands down, the most delicious roasted chicken I've ever had. There. I said it. I know, I know, that's a bold statement to make. There are so many roasted chicken recipes out there, and yet I stick to my claim that this was the best one *I've* ever had. Ironically at first I was cursing this chicken... the original recipe claims it will take slightly over an hour. At that time my chicken was nowhere near cooked. I let it go for another hour, checking the temperate with my meat thermometer every 15 minutes, and it was finally done. It was so juicy and flavorful. I loved the lemon accent to it... gah! I just can't get over how good this was! Landon, who had already had dinner due to my chicken taking for-e-ver, even ate a big slice of it. The best part of this is the juices it makes are perfect for a lemony chicken noodle soup. I can't wait to make this again. I could see myself making this over and over for years to come!

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry ( 4-7 pounds)
1/3 cup butter, soft
1 whole lemon, zested and sliced in half
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2- 1 tsp garlic salt
Black pepper

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 400.
2- Place the chicken in a roasting pan.
3- In a small bowl combine the butter and zest from lemon lemon. Mix well. Rub the mixture over the chicken.
4- Sprinkle the rosemary, garlic salt, and cracked black pepper over the chicken.
5- Squeeze the juices of the lemon over the chicken.
6- Bake for 1.5-2 hours, or until the chicken reads an internal temperate of 165.
7- Allow to sit 10 minutes before carving.