Honey-Mustard Roast Chicken with Winter Vegetables

Root vegetables and honey-mustard-glazed chicken are roasted together for layer upon layer of intense flavor, with very little added fat. If your parsnips are large and have spongy or woody centers, cut out the cores before slicing. The nice thing about this recipe is that it is sweetened with honey, carrots and parsnips but the dish is still relatively low carb, calories, and sugar. To reduce the fat content, you can use skinless, boneless chicken breasts instead. The recipe also works well with chicken thighs. Chicken is very high in protein and is considered a leaner protein. Carrots and parsnips are very rich in eye protecting vitamin A and multiple antioxidants.

Makes: 6 servings
Time to cook: 75 minutes

Ingredients

· 6 small all-purpose potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, cut into wedges

· 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch slices 

· 3 medium parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into 2-inch slices

· 1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

· 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

· ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided

· Freshly ground pepper,to taste

· 2 1/2-3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed

· 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary

· 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

· 1 tablespoon honey

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine potatoes, carrots, parsnips, garlic, and oil in the roasting pan. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss well. Season chicken with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and place, skin-side down, in the center of the pan with rosemary sprigs. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary. Roast the chicken and vegetables for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine mustard and honey in a small bowl.

4. Turn the chicken over and stir the vegetables. Brush the chicken with honey-mustard mixture. Continue roasting, stirring vegetables once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender, 25 to 35 minutes more. (If the chicken is done before the vegetables, remove and keep warm while vegetables finish cooking.) Serve immediately.

Nutrition per serving
428 calories; 9 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugar; 33 grams protein; 308 milligrams sodium 

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau, EatingWell.com

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