Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Place margarine in a small bowl. Using a zester, finely grate lemon peel. Reserve lemon. Add lemon zest and thyme to margarine; stir to combine.
3. Gently loosen (but do not remove) the skin of the chicken breast, forming a pocket between skin and meat. Carefully spread margarine mixture on meat under skin; replace skin. Cut lemon in half and squeeze lemon juice over entire chicken.
4. Place lemon halves, onion and celery in chicken cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Place chicken on a rack in a roasting pan or in a baking dish. Roast 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165°F. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil, before carving.