Roast Chicken Provençale

Thinking of roasting a chicken? Think big. Large roasters have a greater proportion of meat to bone, and leftovers are a time-saver. Look for herbes de Provence, a combination of dried herbs (basil, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme), in the spice section of supermarkets. Rubbing the flavorful paste under the skin means even though the skin is discarded, the meat keeps the flavor.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 4 ounces chicken and about 1 tablespoon sauce)

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  dried herbes de Provence
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  teaspoons  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (7-pound) roasting chicken
• 1  small onion, quartered
• Cooking spray
• 1/3  cup  Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine
• 2/3  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  tablespoon  chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; mash to a paste consistency.

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Rub seasoning mixture under loosened skin. Place onion in body cavity. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under chicken. Tie legs together with string.

Place chicken, breast side up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Insert a meat thermometer into breast, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until thermometer registers 180°. Remove chicken from pan. Cover with foil, and let stand 10 minutes. Discard skin.

Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour pan drippings into bag; let stand 5 minutes (the fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into pan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat.

Place pan over medium-high heat. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; add butter, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Serve sauce with chicken.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

204 (37% from fat)

Fat:

8.4g (sat 2.6g,mono 3.1g,poly 1.7g)

Protein:

28.2g

Carbohydrate:

1g

Fiber:

0.3g

Cholesterol:

86mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

433mg

Calcium:

25mg