How to Make A Perfect Roasted Chicken

Roast chicken is the ultimate comfort food, but it can also be good for you! Here’s how to make it.

Buying pre-made rotisserie chicken at the supermarket may seem easy, but with a heavy load of sodium and fat, they can be hard on your physique. The solution? Roast it yourself! Bonus: The leftovers can be re-made in to new lunch options and the bones can be used for stock! Serve with oven roasted vegetables for a perfect meal!

Perfect Roasted Chicken 

Ready in: 2.5 hours

Ingredients

• 5 lb roaster chicken
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 orange, halved
• 1 lemon, halved
• 4 slices of oranges or lemons (or combination of both)

What You’ll Need

• Wire rack
• Large roasting pan or a baking tray
• Aluminum foil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Wash the chicken and dry with paper towels. Coat the chicken with sea salt and pepper inside and out. Place rosemary and garlic under the skin. Squeeze half of lemon and orange all over the chicken. Cut remaining half of lemon into wedges and the orange into slices; use to fill the cavity.
3. Place bird breast-side up on a wire rack. Or, wrap bird loosely in foil and set in a roasting pan. Cook bird, breast-side up, for 40 minutes.
4. Flip bird, breast-side down, and cook for 40 more minutes. Finish roasting breast-side up for the remaining 30 – 40 minutes, or until the skin has browned.
5. Allow the bird to rest for 15 – 20 minutes before slicing, to allow the juices to settle.

How to check if it’s cooked: If you have a meat thermometer, stick it in the thickest part of the thigh (don’t let it touch bone). If the temperature reads 180°F, it’s done. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, just wiggle the drumstick — it should move freely. But to be extra certain, insert a knife into the leg — the juices should run clear.

Nutrients per serving (3oz): Calories: 157, Total Fats: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1.4 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 75 mg, Sodium: 70 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 3 g, Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g, Sugars: 2 g, Protein: 25 g, Iron: 1.11 mg