A whole chicken: A first-timer's guide

The thought of cooking a whole chicken has terrified me for quite some time.  The idea that it has stuff inside it that I'd have to touch freaked me out.  But alas, thanksgiving is a few weeks away and that means that I'll have to cook a turkey, which seems to me to be a bigger task than a chicken, so might as well start small.  I purchased 6 lb whole chicken from the grocery store and planned on roasting/baking it.  I had looked into using my trusty crockpot, but didn't want my first chicken to fall away from the bones.

I started by putting my chicken in the sink and removing it from the bag.  Okay, I can handle this... I then put it on a plate and patted it dry.  (I've read to not rinse your chicken, do y'all rinse?)  Then I stared at said chicken.  I googled what side I take the stuff out of (I was honestly that clueless).  Turns out it is the side, by the legs.  I stuck my hand in there and was planning on feeling a plastic bag filled with stuff.  Nope!  Of course I bought one of the few chickens in America that comes without a bag of goodies.  So I proceeded to pull the insides out.  At first it freaked me out a little bit, but I quickly overcame my fear.  After I removed everything inside I proceeded to my recipe:

What you need:

• a whole chicken, with the giblets and neck removed
• onion powder
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 1/2 cup margarine