Sage and Garlic Roasted Chicken with Pomegranate and Black Pepper Glaze

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine the butter, sage, garlic and salt in a bowl and mix well until combined.
2. Remove the giblets from inside the chicken. With your hands, rub the butter mixture over the entire chicken including the cavity and underneath the skin. Place any additional sage or garlic inside the cavity (optional).
3. I like to truss (tie up) my chickens. Trussing a chicken keeps everything bound and helps with even cooking. Here’s how you do it: Cut a 3 foot (arm span) of cooking twine. With the chicken breast side up and the cavity facing you, slide the twine underneath the wings at the top end of the chicken. Next, hold up both ends of the twine and bring them toward you and over the tops of the drumsticks. Then bring the twine down and underneath the drumstick ends. Next, hold the twine up and tie a bow pulling both legs together. This is optional. You can also just tie the drumstick ends together with cooking twine and tuck the wing tips in towards the chicken.
4. Place the chicken in the middle of a roasting pan or cast iron skillet (breast/legs up) and add any seasonal vegetables such as cubed butternut squash or potatoes around the chicken. Drizzle the vegetables lightly with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5. While the chicken is roasting, pour the pomegranate juice in a sauce pot and add 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the juice has reduced by 3/4 and formed a syrup, about 15 minutes. The glaze will be finished when it thickly coats the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat once thickened.
6. After 1 hour and 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and pour half of the glaze over the chicken. If the glaze has hardened, heat it over low heat until fluid. Evenly spread the glaze over the chicken with a kitchen/pastry brush. Reserve leftover glaze for serving/plating. Return the chicken to the oven and roast for an additional 10 minutes.
7. When it’s done, remove the chicken from the oven. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving. Carve and plate. Spoon remaining pomegranate black pepper glaze over and garnish with pomegranate seeds, if desired.