Italian Herb-Roasted Chicken in Tomato-Basil Sauce

This roasted bird ain’t no chicken to your taste buds. The herbs and garlic add so much flavor that leftovers are perfect cut up into a nice salad or eaten cold as a delicious protein packed snack. And, of course, chicken is low in fat–especially roasted–so dig in!

1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) broiler-fryer chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (5 1/2 or 6-ounce) can tomato juice (3/4 cup)
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 packets Splenda

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Pull neck skin to back and twist wing tips under. Brush outside of chicken with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Combine Italian seasoning, parsley, and garlic and onion salts; sprinkle some seasoning mixture inside and onto outside of chicken. Tie legs together.

Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, in a shallow roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, in a 375*F (190*F) oven for 1 1/4 to1 1/2 hours. Cover and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

Prepare sauce. Cook onion and garlic in remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil till onion is tender. Stir in cornstarch; add tomato juice, tomato, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; stir in Splenda. Serve sauce with chicken. Serve over rice, if desired.
Makes 8-10 pouch serving or 4 earthling servings.

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