Adapted from The Perfect Recipe by Pam Anderson.

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-lb) whole chicken, butterflied (our Meat Department can do this for you)
• Vegetables, one each: red onion, yellow onion, carrot, sweet potato, Idaho potato, rutabaga, and parsnip - all cut into 2-inch chunks
• Kosher or sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp Vera Jane's Extra-Virgin olive oil
• Additional seasonings (garlic, tarragon, rosemary, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500°F. With the palm of your hand, flatten the breast so that the whole chicken lies flat. Use the smooth side of a mallet to pound the chicken to an even thickness. Make 1/2-inch slits on either side of each breast about 1 inch from the tip. Tuck the corresponding leg into each opening.

Coat a roasting pan or Pyrex dish with cooking spray. Place vegetables in an even layer in the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Top the vegetables with the chicken. Brush chicken with oil and season to taste. If more seasoning is desired, combine selected herbs with salt and pepper and place under the skin of the chicken.

Roast 30 minutes or until chicken is brown and the internal temperature of the thigh is 180°F. Remove chicken from the oven, and place on a cutting board. Let vegetables brown an additional 10 minutes while the chicken collects its juices. Halve chicken down the breastbone, and snip skin between breast and legs/thighs.

 

Makes 4 servings

Per serving (chicken only): 388 calories (55% calories from fat); 23g total fat; 6g saturated fat; 137mg cholesterol; 128mg sodium; 0g total carbohydrates; 43g protein