Heart Healthy Whole Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken can be a very healthy meal. That’s because chicken is one of the leanest protein options available, although the white meat (breast and wing) is leaner than the dark meat (thigh and leg). To keep this roasted chicken lower in fat, remove the skin before eating. Without the skin, a 4-ounce serving of chicken contains less than 200 calories and only 1g of saturated fat. With 35g of protein in one serving, it will help keep you satisfied despite the low calorie count. This is also a low-sodium chicken recipe (only 84mg per serving), since it doesn’t rely on salt for flavor.

Some marinated chicken recipes only require the chicken to marinate for an hour or two before cooking. But since this recipe uses a whole chicken, it takes a lot longer to marinate. It’s best to marinate the chicken overnight or at least 8 hours to allow the flavors of the marinade to permeate the chicken. Since the marinade in this recipe is first heated on the stove, it’s important to allow the marinade to cool to room temperature before submersing the chicken in the marinade. Once in the marinade, cover the chicken and refrigerate. Before you’re ready to cook the marinated chicken, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for one hour. Then coat the chicken with the mustard rub before placing in the oven.

The beauty of cooking a whole roasted chicken is that it’s so versatile it can go with almost any side dish you choose to make. Here are a few of our more popular sides to serve with chicken:

• Hearty Mashed Potatoes
• Green Beans with Almond Slices
• Mac and Cheese
• Honey Carrots