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1
Remove the neck and giblet package from the chicken and pull off the flap of fat if there is one.
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2
Rub hen inside and out with salt.
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3
Place the chicken in a pot that is just large enough to hold it and tall enough to completely cover it with water.
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4
Add ice water just to cover the chicken and stir briefly.
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5
Place in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
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6
Remove the bird and rinse for several minutes under cold running water to remove all salt inside and out.
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7
While the chicken is in the refrigerator, make a simple stock by simmering the neck, giblets (no liver), 1 onion quartered, 1 leaf end of celery, 2 sage leaves, 2 thyme sprigs, and 1 quart water in a large saucepan over low heat for 1 to 2 hours.
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8
Strain and save the stock.
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9
Pull the meat from neck and add to the stock.
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10
Cut up the giblets and add to the stock.
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11
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
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12
Arrange a V-rack for holding the bird over a pan to catch juices.
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13
Pour 1-1/2 cups of the stock into the pan, reserve the rest.
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14
Place the remaining onion, leaf ends of celery, sage leaves, and thyme sprigs, plus the orange and bay leaf, in the chicken cavity.
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15
In a small bowl, stir together corn syrup and butter.
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16
Brush the chicken lightly with this mixture and place in a V-rack, breast side down.
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17
Roast 20 minutes, basting with drippings in pan every 7 minutes.
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18
Remove the chicken from oven and turn so that one leg and thigh are up.
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19
Baste with the butter mixture and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
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20
Remove from the oven again, turn completely over so that the other leg is up, baste well with the butter mixture, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
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21
Remove from the oven again and turn the oven down to 325 degrees.
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22
Leave the oven door partially open so oven temperature will come down quickly.
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23
Turn the bird breast side up, brush well with butter mixture and return to the oven.
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24
Baste every 5 minutes.
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25
In 5 minutes, check breast meat temperature using an instant-read thermometer.
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26
The ideal temperature to remove it is 150 to 154 degrees.
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27
If necessary, place back in oven an additional 5 to 10 minutes until it reaches this temperature.
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28
Breast meat temperature rises about 2 degrees every minute in the oven at this temperature.
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29
Add as much of the pan drippings to the remaining stock as you can without getting the sauce too salty.
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30
Stir cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water and stir it into the stock-drippings mixture in a large saucepan.
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31
Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
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32
Allow chicken to stand at least 15 minutes after removing from the oven.
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33
Carve or partially carve the chicken and arrange back in bird form on the serving platter.
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34
Pass hot gravy in a separate bowl.
