Roast Chicken With Garlic Croutons - cooking recipe

Ingredients

9 ounces day-old French bread, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, peeled & cut in half
1 (3 1/2 lb) whole chickens
sea salt, to taste
black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 lemon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Squeeze the lemon half into the chicken cavity then generously salt and pepper cavity, sprinkle in the thyme, and place the lemon half inside.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Carve chicken and serve on a platter; surround with the crouton/garlic mixture and drizzle any remaining chicken juices onto the croutons.
Croutons are AWESOME served warm on a cool green salad!