Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Combine margarine or butter, basil or tarragon, garlic, and pepper in a small bowl.

Starting at the neck, slip your fingers between skin and breast meat of chicken, forming two pockets. Work your hands carefully down to open pockets on the thighs and top of the legs. Press half of the herb mixture into pockets, spreading evenly over the breast and thigh meat. Rub remaining half of the herb and margarine mixture over the entire chicken.

Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Arrange onions around chicken on rack. Roast, uncovered, in a 375 degree F oven for 35 minutes. Add pear halves to rack. Continue roasting 30 minutes more or until meat is no longer pink and the drumsticks move easily in their sockets. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm. Remove pears and onions with slotted spoon. Coarsely chop and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring apple juice to boiling in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous. Cover and remove from heat. let stand 5 minutes. Stir in chopped pears, chopped onions, hazelnuts, and spinach. Serve immediately with chicken. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Tip: If pears are firm or unripe when you purchase them, leave them in a bowl or a paper bag for a few days at room temperature. To test for ripeness, apply gentle pressure to the stem end. If it yields slightly, it's ripe.