Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or 1/4 cup butter
• 1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs., trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup any mild green herbs, i.e. parsley, dill, basil, sage (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the oil or butter in a roasting pan and put the pan in the oven for a couple of minutes, until the oil is hot or the butter melts. Add the chicken and turn it couple of times in the fat, leaving it skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and return the pan to the oven.

2. After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, toss about 1/4 of the herb or herb mixture over it and turn the pieces. Sprinkle on another quarter of the herb and roast for another 10 minutes.

3. Turn the chicken over (now skin side up again), add another quarter of the herb, and cook until the chicken is done (you'll see clear juices if you make a small cut in the meat near the bone) a total of 30-40 minutes at most. Garnish with the remaining herb and skim excess fat from the pan juices if necessary; serve, with some of the juices spooned over it.

4. Variations:

5. Add several cloves of garlic (20 wouldn't be too many).

6. Add a cup or so of chopped onion, shallot, or leek.

7. Add a cup or so of sliced fresh mushrooms, after the first 15 minutes of roasting.

8. Add 2-3 lemons (oranges and limes are good, too). When the chicken is done, squeeze the hot lemon juice over it.

9. Use Compound Butter, Flavored Oil, or a Vinaigrette from the beginning of the cooking or as a basting sauce during the cooking.

10. Stir in a dollop of grainy French-style mustard when the chicken is done.

11. Add a couple handfuls of cherry tomatoes and some black olives after turning the chicken skin side up again.

12. Stir in a cup of any salsa in the last 10 minutes of cooking or spoon on top of the cooked chicken before serving.