• 1 whole chicken (4 1/2 - 5 lb)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion - chopped medium
• 1 small stalk of celery - chopped medium
• 6 med. garlic cloves - peeled and trimmed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
• 1/2-1 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 250 deg.
2. Pat dry chicken and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in dutch oven until smoking. Add chicken breast side down, scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary around chicken. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 min. Using spoon in cavity flip and cook other side until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6-8 min.
3. Remove dutch oven from burner and place sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven on low shelf and cook until thickest part of breast registers 160 deg and thickest part of thigh 175 deg., 90-110 min. A 3 1/2-4 1/2lb bird should take about 60 min.
4. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, rest 20 min. Meanwhile strain chicken juice from pot into fat separator, about 3/4 cup. Allow liquid to settle 5 min., then pour into small saucepan and set over low heat.
5. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste; and pass with chicken.

Serves: 4       Total cook time: 1hr 40min plus 20 min. rest
Source: America's Test Kitchen season 9