Best Ever Roast Chicken

Makes 6 servings

POINTS® value | 3 per serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon, thyme, sage, rosemary, or marjoram, or a combination of any two
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• One 3- to 3 1/2-pound roasting chicken

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Mix the herbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Wash and dry your hands. Starting at one side of the breast over the bird's large cavity opening, slip a finger between the skin and meat, creating a pocket that you can gently expand by inserting more fingers. Be careful not to stretch the skin too much. Create a similar opening on the other side of the breast.
4. Slit the skin (but not the meat) over the largest part of the thigh; insert your finger between the skin and the meat to open up a pocket. Repeat with the other thigh.
5. Divide the herb mixture among the pockets, gently sliding the herbs under the skin and covering the meat inside.
6. Place the bird on a roasting rack breast side down. Set in a large roasting pan or a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake 20 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to 350ºF. Turn the bird breast side up on the rack. Be careful: the juices inside are hot and can spill out. Silicon baking mitts are the best tool; large tongs or a clean dish towel can also work to hold the bird.
8. Continue roasting until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180ºF, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
9. Let bird rest on roasting rack at room temperature 10 minutes. Place on cutting board; remove and discard all skin. Carve between the joints, wiggling the thighs, legs and wings free and inserting the tip of a knife into the exposed joint. Slice the breast meat into long thin pieces.
   
   Serving size: 3 ounces of skinless light or dark meat.

Seven Ideas for Leftovers

• Barbecue
  Toss the meat with barbecue sauce and serve on toasted Kaiser rolls.
  
  
• Chicken Salad
  Substitute chopped chicken for canned tuna in your favorite tuna salad recipe.
  
  
• Green Salad
  Lay slices of the meat over mixed greens, chopped celery, shredded carrots and diced radishes; top with your favorite salad dressing.
  
  
• Pasta
  Toss the chopped meat with cooked and drained whole wheat pasta and heated jarred marinara sauce.
  
  
• Pizza
  Lay the chopped meat on a purchased whole wheat pizza crust; add some jarred fat-free pizza sauce and low-fat mozzarella; bake as directed on the crust package.
  
  
• Soba
  Toss the chopped meat with cooked and drained soba noodles, thawed and cooked frozen Chinese vegetables and a little seasoned rice vinegar.
  
  
• Soup
  Make an easy chicken soup with 4 cups vegetable broth, chopped celery, chopped carrots and dill; add the meat and simmer 15 minutes.
  
  *Be sure to calculate additional POINTS® values accordingly