1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease the wire rack of a roasting pan with olive oil

2. To prepare the chicken, make sure to remove giblets and neck, trim any unwanted fat, and rinse in cold water the inside and outside to get rid of any blood and pat try with paper towel. For the rub combine butter with garlic, thyme, rosemary and salt and pepper. Rub under the skin in areas you can and overtop the chicken. You can cut little incisions around the legs if needed to pierce the skin a little. Insert apples inside the cavity of the chicken, and place nectarines around the chicken to roast inside the pan.

3. Cook chicken for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F, lower the temperature to 350 degrees F for the remainder of the cook time.

4. In the meantime during the initial cooking of the roast make the apple cider reduction. Bring apple cider in a medium saucepan to a slow boil. When boiling reduce to simmer and cook until reduced by half about 15 minutes. Set aside.

5. Baste the chicken in the reduced apple cider every 30 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Depending on the size of the chicken it will vary from 1 hour to 2:30 hours. We cooked two chickens at a time in 1 roasting pan. The smaller chicken was ready after 2 hours and the larger took an additional 30 minutes.

6. Once the chicken has reached it’s internal temperature allow it to rest by covering with foil for 15-20 minutes. The resting period is important as juices tend to escape leaving you with a flood of liquid if you don’t allow it to rest. It helps keep moisture in and keeps the meat more moist and succulent. You can choose to tent the chicken in the roasting pan otherwise make sure it is tenting in something that will hold any liquids that escape.

7. While the chicken is tenting it’s the perfect time to make your gravy. Grab a cup or two of the drippings from the pan pour it into a saucepan and bring to a slow boil on the stove. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour to allow it to thicken. Continuously whisk until it thickens. (add more flour if needed) Once it’s thickened it’s ready to be served.

8. Finally, cut the chicken removing the breasts first (try and keep them intact to hold their shape for good presentation), remove the wings and everything else. Serve with your choice of sides and enjoy!