Orange You Glad You Made This Roasted Chicken

I served this creation for dinner with our house guests and everyone raved over the recipe. It is one of those dishes where every bite led to another compliment. Moist, and flavorful - slightly sweet and citrusy! The kids loved it as much as the adults. If you have a large family you may want to make two chickens, especially if you are planning to have leftovers! There is an extra contest ingredient in case you want to leave out the orange liqueur (but i wouldn't!). Serve with rice and veggies. This recipe was created for rsc #9.------

Steps

Clean chicken and pat dry.

Sprinkle salt and pepper into the chicken cavity.

Pierce skin of chicken with knife in 5-7 places and insert half of the garlic slices under the skin.

Stuff onion , fresh herbs , butter , orange quarters , and remaining garlic.

Rub chicken skin with a little butter.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

To close opening , make two slices in the chicken skin , one on either side of opening , and place the leg bone from the opposite side into the sliced skin on both sides.

Roast chicken at 400 degrees for 15 minutes to get skin crisp and then lower heat to 350 and continue to roast for 65 minutes , or when internal thermometer reaches 180 degrees , or when juices run clear.

Occasionally baste chicken with pan juices.

Remove chicken from pan and place on a platter.

Pour pan juices into a sauce pan and add 3 / 4 cups of the orange juice , grand marnier , chopped apricots and brown sugar whisk on high until it comes to a boil , lower temp and whisk occasional.

Ingredients

roasting chickens, white onion, fresh basil, fresh rosemary, butter, orange, garlic cloves, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, orange juice, grand marnier, dried apricots, brown sugar, flour