Sunday night chicken gets a fast and fabulous makeover with my go-to recipe for roast chicken that is crisp, moist, and juicy – in under an hour!
The trick to reducing the normal roasting time is to butterfly the chicken, spread it open, place it in a roasting pan and bake it in a very hot oven. In 45 minutes you have a chicken with beautiful crispy skin and juicy tender meat. It’s not hard, but if you would like to see in done, simply google how to spatchcock a chicken!
Feel free to swap in your own favorite roast chicken seasonings.
Makes 4 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 roasting chicken, about 4 pounds
¾ teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
¼ freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Spray the bottom of a roasting pan with cooking spray.
2. Remove giblets, rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry. Place chicken breast side down on a cutting board, and using a sharp knife or sturdy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. Turn the chicken over, opening the back, spread the legs to the sides, and press firmly on the breast with the heel of your hand to make sure it is spread as flat as it can easily go. Rub the chicken with the oil, and sprinkle with seasoned salt, garlic powder, rosemary, and pepper (feel free to rub some of the seasonings under the skin as well).
3. Place the chicken in the roasting pan breast side up and put it in the oven. After 30 minutes, check the chicken and cover the breast with foil if the skin is already well browned. Bake 15 more minutes or until juices run clear when pierced and thigh meat registers 175 to 180 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Marlene Says: The nutritional content for this dish varies depending on the chicken part. Three and one-half ounces of cooked breast meat (about one-half of one of the breasts) without the skin has 140 calories and 3 grams fat; one skinless thigh averages 120 calories and 5 grams fat; a leg has 100 calories and 3 grams fat; and a wing (with skin) averages 100 calories with 6 grams fat.
Nutrition Information Per Serving (3.5 ounces—average of light and dark meat)
Calories 175 Carbohydrate 0g (Sugars 0g) Total Fat 6g (Sat Fat .5 g)
Protein 28g Fiber 0g Cholesterol 30mg
Sodium 25mg
Food Exchanges: 3½ Lean Meat
Carbohydrate Choices: 0
Weight Watcher Point Comparison: 4 | Smart Points 3
