The Roastess with the Mostest

This is my FAVOURITE roasted chicken recipe and it comes from my FAVOURITE cookbook, Eat, Shrink & Be Merry!  The lemon-herb paste is rubbed under the skin so you get lots of flavour right on the meat.

Lemon and herb roasted whole chicken

1 whole roasting chicken (about 4lbs/1.8kg)
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary/or 1tsp dried
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme/ or 1tsp dried
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated zest and juice of half a lemon

Move oven rack to bottom third of oven.  Preheat oven to 425 deg. F.  Place a small rack inside a roasting pan.  Pour 1 cup water in pan.  Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. 

In a small bowl, mix together mustard, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper to make a paste.  Add lemon zest and mix again.  Set aside.

Squeeze juice from lemon inside cavity of chicken, then tuck the used lemon half right inside it.  Tie legs together with kitchen string.  Rub reserved paste over surface of chicken and, using your fingers, carefully rub paste between skin and meat on breast and thighs. 

Place chicken on rack breast-side down.  Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Remove chicken from oven and flip over.  Add a bit more water to pan if it has evaporated.  Return to oven and roast for 35 to 40 more minutes, depending on size of bird.  If chicken browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.  When cooked, legs should move easily in sockets and thigh juices should be clear (not pink) when pierced with a small knife.  A meat thermometer inserted in thigh (away from bone) should read 170 deg. F.

Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving. 

Makes 4 servings

(Eat, Shrink & Be Merry : great-tasting food that won't go from your lips to your hips! / Janet and Greta Podleski, copyright 2005, isbn: 0968063136, pg. 83)

**5 weightwatchers points per serving