Chicken Yum-Yum

The name says it all! This delicious dish can be doubled easily and works equally well with chicken breasts or legs. Your guests will agree that this dish is yum-yum, not ho-hum.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse the chicken well and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the excess fat. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a sprayed 9 × 13-inch casserole dish. Rub with garlic and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter onions around the chicken.
2. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce, and dried basil; mix well. Spoon the mixture over the chicken pieces and spread evenly. (If desired, the chicken can be prepared in advance up to this point and refrigerated for as long as 2 days.)
3. Roast the chicken, uncovered, basting occasionally, for about 1 hour. Juices should run clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork.

Yield: 8 servings. Recipe doubles or triples easily. Keeps for up to 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator; reheats well. Freezes well for up to 4 months.

201 calories per serving (without skin), 9.0 g carbohydrate, 0.3 g fiber, 26 g protein, 6.5 g fat (1.8 g saturated), 77 mg cholesterol, 311 mg sodium, 311 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 25 mg calcium

Chef’s Secrets

The Naked Truth: For maximum flavor without the guilt, leave the skin on the chicken and cook it a day ahead, according to the instructions above. When the fully baked chicken is cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight. About 20 minutes before serving, remove any congealed fat, cover, and reheat. Remove the skin from the chicken before you eat it. (That’s the way I like to make this dish!)

Nutrition Notes

Sweet Choice: To reduce the calories and carbs, use Low-Carb Ketchup  and granular Splenda. One serving contains 183 calories and 4.1 grams carbohydrate (0.5 g fiber).