Chicken roast with apple sauce (6 portions)

This preparation is a low-calorie modification of the typical roast. The initial tossing in oil reduces the chicken from drying out while in the oven. The apple sauce without sugar is highly recommended for those who wish to keep their sugar spikes under control after the meal.

Ingredients 

Whole dressed chicken – 1 ½ kg
4 apples
6-8 small onions
6 potatoes
4-5 carrots
20 French beans
1 capsicum
1 tsp ginger juice
1 tbsp soy sauce (optional)
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
1 stick cinnamon
10 to12  peppercorns
2 tbsp oil for cooking
1 tsp honey
Salt to taste

Method  

1. Rub a little salt all over the chicken and under the skin, too. Now marinate the chicken in a mix of ginger juice, soy sauce, Worcester sauce and some coarsely ground pepper. Cover the dish with the chicken and leave it to marinate for 4-5 hours in the refrigerator.  
2. Prepare the rest of the ingredients for the roast. Wash the potatoes and apples and leave intact. You can leave the skins on as they hold the nutrients and the moisture. Cut the carrots and French beans into large pieces. Peel the onions and leave whole. Wash and cut the capsicum into rings.  
3. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator half an hour before cooking. In a large vessel, heat the oil over a high flame and lightly fry the chicken evenly, turning it around to seal the juices within the bird.  Lightly oil the inner surface of your baking dish. Place the chicken in the centre, breast side down, and arrange the apples, potatoes and the rest of the vegetables around the chicken in the baking dish. Pour the oil in which you sautéed the chicken and the marinade over the bird. 
4. Roast the chicken in a hot oven (around 220 degrees C) for around 20-30 minutes. Baste the chicken occasionally with the drippings from the base of the baking dish. The tender vegetables may be removed and kept aside if cooked before the rest of the roast. 
5. When done, turn off the oven and remove the apples and keep aside for the sauce. Wrap the baking dish with aluminium foil and let the heat within the roast complete the cooking. You can leave the baking dish with the chicken in the oven or other warm place.
6. Puree the apples and blend in a teaspoon honey. Now, heat the apple sauce in a saucepan and stick of cinnamon and let it brown slightly. Take off the fire.                  

Serve the roast with the vegetables around it. The sauce may be served warm or at room temperature as preferred.

Nutrients per serving   

Calories – 240 kcal; carbohydrates – 40g ; Protein – 12g; Fat – 7 g; Calcium 81mg; Vitamin A (beta carotene) – 1059mcg (Vitamin A content of the preparation may increase if the oil used has been fortified with the vitamin)