Chicken in Milk

Wanting to feel like a grown-up, I scoured the internet for a recipe for a whole roast chicken. Also not wanting to do too much work, I sought a low-effort dish. Here is the seemingly strange but actually delicious and interesting recipe I found (original recipe), and my suggested variations.

Ingredients
1. Whole chicken
2. Butter
3. Seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, fresh sage leaves, zest of 2 lemons)
4. 0.5 to 1 onion (I used a red onion)
5. 1 pint (~500mL) milk
6. Optional: garlic, small potatoes, carrots

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Wash and clean chicken (no yuckies on the inside!) and brown in butter on all sides, using an oven-safe pot that has a lid. As you turn the chicken you can season each side with salt, pepper, and paprika.
3. Before putting it in the oven add fresh sage leaves, lemon zest, coarsely chopped onion, and milk and optional extras (whole garlic cloves still in skins, half a lemon inside the chicken, small whole potatoes and/or chunks of carrot).
4. Cook for 45 minutes with lid on and 45 minutes without lid, basting occasionally.
5. Serve over rice and/or with delicious crusty bread and butter.

Note: The milk will separate into some delicious cheesy curds. It is supposed to do that and the gravy is really good!