Roast chicken with herb stuffing

Chicken stock	2 cups
Chicken (roasting, not broiling) with neck and giblets, rinsed, very thoroughly dried	4 ½ pounds
Butter	3 tablespoons
Onion, chopped	1
Bread crumbs, fresh	2 cups
Parsley, chopped	1 tablespoon
Thyme, chopped	1 tablespoon + 6 sprigs
Chives, chopped	1 tablespoon
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground
Flour	1 tablespoon

1. Bring stock to boil over high heat in a medium pot, and then reduce the heat to medium-low; add the chicken neck, giblets, and other trimmings. 
2. Simmer for 30 minutes, until the stock reduces by about one-third. 
3. Strain the stock, and discard the solids. 
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat; add the onion, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just soft. 
5. Stir in the bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, and chives, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
6. Cook for about 3 minutes; set aside to cool to room temperature. 
7. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
8. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper, and then fill the cavity with the stuffing; careful not to pack too tightly. 
9. Push the thyme sprigs lightly into the stuffing so that they protrude. 
10. Secure the opening with a small skewer, and then roast the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan for 20 minutes.
    Place any leftover stuffing in a baking dish, and bake with the chicken, if desired. 
11. Reduce the heat to 350°F, and continue roasting for 20 minutes per pound (40 minutes per kilogram), not counting the first 20 minutes.
    For example, a 4 ½ pound chicken is 1 hour 30 minutes of roasting at 350°F. 
12. Once cooked, set the chicken aside to rest. 
13. Spoon excess fat from the roasting pan, and then place on stove top on low heat. 
14. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir until a roux forms. 
15. Add the reserved stock. 
16. Increase the heat to high, and deglaze, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. 
17. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy is thick. 
18. Carve the chicken, and serve with gravy on the side. 

Recipe from The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews.