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This is my favorite way to cook a whole chicken. It works in the oven or on the barbecue.
Make a thick paste of dried herbs using about a tablespoon each of thyme, marjoram, sage, and rosemary, a few cloves of very finely chopped garlic (the Italian garlic slicer is perfect for this), salt and pepper to taste, and just enough olive oil to hold it all together, say a couple of tablespoons for those of you who just have to measure things.
Slide your finger under the skin of the breast and gently pull it away from the meat; go in as far as you can, and down toward the top of the thigh. Do this on both sides of the bird. Stuff about half of the herb paste under the skin, spreading it around as much as possible.
Turn the chicken over and do the same thing on the back and thighs (it helps to cut a small opening in the skin on the back, which isn't as loose as the breast skin). Rub any remaining paste on the outside and in the cavity.
In the oven
Have the oven preheated to 375. Pour a little oil into a roasting pan (anything that holds the bird and won't melt; your cast iron skillet will do just fine) and put the chicken in breast side down.
After about 20 minutes, pull the pan out and carefully flip the chicken over. Don't just grab it, but gently rock the bird to see of the skin is sticking to the pan (you don't want to rip it off when you flip). If it is, use a flat spatula or something similar to loosen the grip, then turn it.
Return to the hot oven and cook another half-hour or until it's done.
(Part of learning how to cook is knowing when things are done. If you bake a chicken at 375 for close to an hour, you can be pretty sure it's done. You could, and it's not a bad idea, cut between the thigh and body and see of the juices run clear, a sign of doneness. Wiggle the leg; a high degree of freedom indicates complete cooked-ness. Or stick an instant-read thermometer, a very handy tool for any cook, in a couple of spots and make sure it reads at least 165 or 170.
I prefer my fowl to be falling-off-the-bone done, but don't want it dried out, which is why I start it cooking breast side down. The natural juices want to obey the law of gravity and head south, so you put the breast meat, which dries out fastest, in their path. You flip it back so the skin can get nice and crispy.)
On the grill
The same treatment makes a great barbecued chicken. Arrange your fire for indirect heat (read more about barbecue; indirect means the coals are on one or both sides, but not directly under the food). Oil the grill and set the bird on breast side down.
You can get a nice smoky flavor with the addition of hardwood, fruitwood, or, my personal favorite, grape cuttings.
You want to turn it over after 15-20 minutes, depending on how hot your fire is. As in the oven, be careful not to leave the skin sticking to the grill. Cook 'til done.