Roasted Chicken With Apples and Onions

Ingredients

Nutrient note: Chicken is full of high-quality, lowfat protein to repair bone, muscles, skin, blood and internal organs. It also contains cysteine, a compound that closely resembles acetylcysteine, a drug that doctors prescribe for bronchitis and respiratory infections. This may be one reason lots of chicken soup helps when you have a cold or the flu.

1 6- to 7-pound roasting chicken, giblets removed and discarded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 McIntosh or winesap apples, cored and cut into thick slices but not peeled
2 small red onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or water

Directions

Preheat oven to 450° F. Rinse chicken inside and out and pat dry. Coat with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Transfer to a shallow roasting pan and surround with apples and onions, covering the bottom of the pan. Pour broth over apples and onions. Insert a meat thermometer deep into the thickest part of the thigh next to the body, not touching the bone.

Place chicken in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 325° F. Roast 20 minutes per pound, or until thermometer reads 180°–185° F, basting every 30 minutes after the first 30 minutes of cooking. Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving. Serve carved chicken with apples and onions on the side.