Basic Roasted Chicken 8/10

chicken basting:
1 c water
1/3 c olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp salt

Combine ingredients for basting.

To prepare chicken:  Remove any giblets from the inside of the chicken and rinse it out if necessary.  If feathers haven't been completely removed, remove them.  Tuck the tips of the wings behind the shoulders.  Place chicken in a pan about the size of the chicken and at least half as deep.

Roast at the hottest the oven gets (about 500F) for 15 minutes.  Flip chicken over.  Baste.  Roast for about 15 minutes again.  Turn heat down to 400F.  Turn chicken over.  Baste.  Continue flipping and basting the chicken (1-1.5 hours total) until done (180F on the inside.  Be sure to check the temperature of the thick parts of the chicken and be sure you're not measuring the temperature of the water.)

Gravy:
After the chicken is done, take the sauces from the pan, add about 1/4 c flour, and stir until the lumps of flour disappear.  Add water or milk and fry on the stove until it reaches the desired thickness.  You may want to add spices.

Source: Lada Chvala

Notes:  Basic, plain roasted chicken.  This is a good place to start.  I like to play with adding spices to the basting.