Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Makes 4 servings
1 roasting chicken (about 41/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme + 10 sprigs thyme
Salt and ground black pepper
3 lemons, quartered
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a roasting rack with cooking spray.
2. Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken cavity and discard. Trim excess fat from the chicken. Loosen the skin from the breast and drumsticks by inserting your fingers and gently pushing between skin and meat.
3. In a small bowl, combine the chopped thyme with salt and pepper to taste. Use your fingers to rub the thyme mixture under the chicken skin. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste inside the cavity. Place 5 thyme sprigs and 4 lemon wedges inside the cavity.
4. Put the chicken, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Tuck the remaining lemon wedges around the chicken on the rack. Roast for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in a breast registers 180°F and the juices run clear.
5. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a plate, breast side down; let stand 15 minutes (this allows juices to flow back into the breast meat). Remove the skin (keep it and serve it, if desired). Carve the chicken and garnish with roasted lemon wedges and the remaining sprigs of thyme.
Per serving: 291 calories, 53 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0.5 g fiber, 350 mg sodium