Best Roasted Chicken
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• Cooking Spray
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 5 to 6 stems fresh parsley
• 5 to 6 stems fresh thyme
• 1 (5 ½-pound) whole roaster chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 cup fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450ᶿF. Coat a 9x13 baking or roasting pan with cooking spray.
2. Add chopped onion, carrots and celery to the pan and top with fresh parsley and fresh thyme. Mix ingredients to distribute them evenly.
3. Remove and discard giblet and neck from chicken cavity. Trim excess fat around neck and cavity opening. Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry.
4. Starting at the neck, loosen skin around breast using your finger. Rub entire chicken (including breast meat under the skin) with olive oil. Season the outside of the chicken and the inside of the cavity with the salt and pepper.
5. Fill the cavity of the chicken with the lemon wedges and smashed garlic, and place chicken breast-side up into the pan on top of the herbs and vegetables.
6. Pour chicken broth over the vegetables and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 350ᶿF and bake chicken an additional 45 minutes.
7. Remove chicken from the pan and let it rest, covered with foil for 20 minutes. Strain vegetables and herbs from broth in the bottom of the pan. De-fat broth and set aside (you should end up with about one cup of broth). Discard vegetables.
8. Once chicken has rested, remove skin and cut into 8 pieces; discarding carcass, lemons and garlic. Pour de-fatted broth over chicken and serve.