Spicy Roast Chicken

For the veggies:
6 small-medium cooking onions, peeled and quartered
1 head garlic, peeled and divided into cloves
1-2 bunches local carrots, tops off (save for stock), peeled and cut into 1-2" chunks
olive oil
garlic salt
ground black pepper

For the chicken:
1 3-5 lb chicken
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp celtic salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the prepared onions, garlic and carrots in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Mix it up and set aside.

Wash the bird and remove any extra bits from the cavity. These goodies can be saved for use in stock if you aren't anxious to eat them. Dry the bird and place it in a roasting pan. I use one with low sides as the skin gets a little browner that way. You can use glass or metal. Make sure you choose one that has some room around the bird, cuz that's where your onions and carrots are going to go.

Put the coconut oil and remaining spices in a small bowl and mix.
Rub this mixture all over the chicken's skin. You can put a little in the cavity if there's extra.

Place a few of the onion pieces and a couple cloves of garlic in the cavity. Now truss the chicken. Cut a 3 foot long piece of kitchen string. The chicken should be in the pan boobs up. Put the middle of your cut string at the middle of the chickens back. Bring each end of the string around the wings to meet in the middle of the breast. Cross over, like you're tying a parcel, and pull the string down around the outside of the legs/thighs. Pull the string tight, but not so tight that it slips off chickie's back. Do a little figure eight around the birds... knees (?) and tie it in a knot between the legs. That should get all the limbs nice and tight into the body and cover the cavity up a bit.

Spoon the onion and carrot mix around the bird. Place in the oven and baste every 1/2 hour until done.

How long should you cook it for? Until a thermometer placed into the thigh reads 185F. It usually takes 1.5-2 hours for me to do it like this. Sometimes, when I get impatient, I turn the oven up to 375F for the last 20 minutes or so.