Lunch: Best Roasted Chicken

Prepare this Best Roasted Chicken recipe ahead of time. After cooking, place the broth in the refrigerator overnight and the fat will rise to the top and solidify slightly. Then you can just scrape the fat off the top and have just the broth leftover to s

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Lemon

Health benefits of Best Roasted Chicken

Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Lemons are also rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, and other antioxidants. They can potentially support the immune system and have other health benefits. Lemons also have a low glycemic index, so they should not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar when consumed in natural form.

Ingredients

Cooking Spray
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
5-6 stems of fresh parsley
5-6 stems of fresh thyme
1 (5½-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 gluten-free chicken broth

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking or roasting pan with cooking spray.
Add chopped onion, carrots and celery to the pan and top with fresh parsley and fresh thyme. Mix ingredients to evenly distribute them.
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.
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 cavity with the salt and pepper.
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.
Pour the chicken broth over the vegetables and bake in oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake chicken additional 45 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest, covered with foil for 20 minutes. Strain the vegetables and herbs from broth in the bottom of the pan. De-fat the broth and set aside (you should end up with about one cup of broth). Discard the vegetables.
Once the chicken has rested, remove the skin and cut into 8 pieces, discarding the carcass, lemons and garlic. Pour the de-fatted broth over the chicken and serve.
MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Ensure that the broth is gluten free and this recipe can be gluten free.