Roast Chicken

Preheat oven to 230ºC (450ºF).

Clean all the little bits of gross stuff out of the interior of your chicken. Rinse it out and pat it dry with paper towels. Just before cooking, fill the cavity loosely, no more than ¾ full, with rice stuffing or whatever stuffing you prefer. Close the cavities with a skewer. Fold the wings back securely behind the chicken. Tie the legs together at the ankles with string.

Place chicken, breast side up, on a grill above a baking pan, and cover the top of the bird lightly with foil. Place the pan in the oven. Turn down over to 180ºC (350ºF). Roast for about 20 minutes per pound. Remove the foil towards the end of cooking to allow the top to brown. 

There are a few ways to be sure your bird is cooked:

Move one of the legs; the joint should feel loose.
Liquid that runs from a pricked bird should be clear, not pink.
If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh meat (be careful not to let the thermometer touch the bone) should be 74ºC (165ºF).

When done, remove the chicken from the oven and place on a platter. Allow to cool 10 minutes before carving. 

While it's cooling, use the pan drippings to make gravy.

To carve, hold the knee with a fork, gently pull it away from the body, and use your knife to cut away the leg. Carefully separate the joint by twisting the tip of your knife between the 2 bones. Divide the thigh from the drumstick similarly. Slice the breast starting at the neck area, and cut thin slices against the grain along the length of the breast. Your knife should be somewhat parallel to the contour of the breast. Arrange artfully on a platter or serve directly to plates.