Awesome Roast Chicken

Here is the chicken before the roasting started:

This roast chicken is probably the best you've ever had. I brined this bad boy for 24 hours, which I think was the key. Kitty says its one of the best she's ever had.. and she knows chicken. Serve with some mashed potatoes and pan gravy and you will be very happy. Save the chicken bones, and make some stock out of it to make some soup later on. As for the roasted mushrooms in the roast chicken recipe, be sure to make extra, because they are really really good. The brine comes from Alice Waters from Chez Panisse and the Chicken is from Tyler Florence.

Brine:

The recipe makes enough brine for a large turkey. If brining only one chicken or a pork roast, cut the recipe in half.
2-1/2 gallons cold water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
1 bunch fresh thyme, or 4 tablespoons dried
1 whole head of garlic, peeled
5 whole allspice berries, crushed
4 juniper berries, crushed

Place the water in a large pot that can easily hold the liquid and the meat you intend to brine.
Add all the ingredients and stir for a minute or so until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Refrigerate poultry in the brine for 24 hours; pork for 3 days. If the meat floats to the top, use a plate or other weight to keep it completely submerged in the brine.

Roast Chicken:

1 (3 pound) organic free-range chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 red onion, quartered
1/2 lemon, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 head garlic, about 6 cloves, smashed
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut in 1/2
3 pounds whole cremini mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp towel

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl combine the onion, lemon, garlic, half the thyme, and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper and mix it well. Stuff the bird with the mixture. Using 2 (3-foot) pieces of kitchen twine, tie up the chicken: Tuck the wing tips between the wings and the body. Put the midpoint of the twine under the chicken, bring the ends up and around the wings, and pull them tight against the body. Bring the ends of the twine up underneath the legs, wrap the string around them, pull the legs together, and tie them tightly. Place the chicken, breast side up in a roasting pan, and layer the strips of bacon up breast until covered. Scatter over the remaining thyme, drizzle over some more olive oil and season everything with salt and pepper.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours; arrange the mushrooms around the chicken 45 minutes after roasting. Baste with the pan juices every 20 minutes. The chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (the legs should wiggle easily in their sockets.)
Remove the chicken from the pan, cover with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes to rest. Serve the chicken with the roasted mushrooms and pan juices.