Maple-Thyme Butter Roasted Chicken

I know, the sound of maple is throwing you off. 

But trust me, it doesn't have an overwhelming taste of maple and when this bird is roasting in the oven. 

Your mouth is drooling!!!

This recipe was found in the Home Cooking portion of Country Living Magazine (Feb. 2013)  With my own reservations about whether I would like the "MAPLE" I tried it. This was DELICIOUS!!

Maple-Thyme Butter Roasted Chicken

Ingredients: 

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, (I used dried thyme)
• 1 (3-4 lb.) whole chicken
• 1 lemon, quartered (I used 2)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together butter, maple syrup and chopped thyme. 
2. Place chicken in a roasting pan and stuff cavity with lemon and some thyme. Slide hands under the chicken's skin to loosen. Spread half of reserved butter mixture between loosened skin and meat. Rub remaining butter mixture on top of skin and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Roast chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thighs reaches 165*F, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Garnish with remaining thyme. 

I paired the chicken with a green salad and roasted zucchini and squash and a lovely glass of red wine. It was a very delicious meal and another recipe that I will be adding to my recipe book. 

I would love to hear if you attempted this recipe. 

~Amanda