I can't believe this wasn't in here someplace. I talk about three to four meals per chicken, but no recipe? Well here it is.
To get this right, you can do it by eye eventually. If you like chicken, though, get an instant read thermometer - about five or ten bucks - and you will be thankful by your first chicken.
Get a chicken from 3 to 7 lbs depending on how many people will be eating it - 2 to 4 as this writeup goes. Lets say 3 to 4 people and closer to 7 lbs.
Use a roasting or similar pan with something to keep the chicken off the bottom. Heat a gas grill or oven to 325 to 375. Count on 15 mins to warm grill and prepare chicken, 15 minutes or less per lb, and at least a ten minute rest - about 2 hours or a little more altogether.
Cut the top and bottom off a medium onion and peel off any skin that is not moist. Half the onion on its equator (on a line between its North Pole top and South Pole bottom.) Reserve half for something else. Put the remaining half flat side down on the cutting board and make 2 cuts straight down at 90 degree angles to quarter it. Break it apart and split it into 2 piles.
Use a peeler to peel carrots (not necessary unless you want to eat them, but they may need additional cooking) - peel enough to match one onion pile. Cut them down the middle (releases surface area for flavor.) Get a stalk of celery. This should just about match the other onion pile. slice it along the center of the rib. Then cut both celery and carrots to the same length as the onions seen to be.
Hand mix the vegetables till well mixed. If you have any giblets add them to the mix (but not the liver - toss it. I like foie gras, but not for this flavor profile. You will know it because of how soft and mushy it is compared to the other giblets...) Then stuff them into the cavity of the bird, cover the skin over, as fasten it with a toothpick if you want.
Place bird on rack of roasting pan. Grind lots of coarse pepper over top, then sprinkle the same amount of kosher salt. Place it in grill. Check temperature occasionally. Lightly spray with olive oil one hour or so into the cook. Check temps more frequently as you get closer to 1.5 hour to 2 hours (don't keep opening the grill though, maybe every 15 minutes or less at the end.) Stick the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast - when it reads 161, it is done - it will continue to use retained heat to cook itself to done-ness. Wait at least 15 minutes to cut it. preferably table side. Slice down into the breast, carve off a few slices and place them in the gravy.
Oh yeah, meanwhile pour off most of the fat and deglaze the roasting pan with "chicken stock.* Reserve some to stir into some Wondra or corn starch. Stir over heat and add the starch mixture to thicken it to a nice gravy. Toss in the slices of white meat, plate and serve - with fresh collards and roasted butternut squash, perhaps, like I did tonight Sunday 27SEP10.
When done, pick the chicken clean reserve it for pot pie.Boil it the remaining skin, bones and vegs- for 1 to 2 hours minimum - to make stock. . In the meantime, make more gravy with more Wondra/starch and stock as necessary. Reserve, and pour off all non-fat for stock. Reserve stock for another meal by freezing it.