Roasted herb-seasoned chicken served with a simple, yet tasty tomato-basil sauce.

Herb-Roasted Chicken with Tomato-Basil Sauce

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 Equal® sweetener or 3/4 teaspoon Equal® for Recipes

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 Equal®sweetener.
4. Serve sauce with chicken. Serve over reduced-carb pasta or rice, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information Per Serving, Including 1/2 cup Long-Grain White Rice: 490 cal., 34 g pro., 37 g carbo., 22 g fat, 98 mg chol., 624 mg sodium.

Food Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 2 Bread, 4 1/2 Meat, 2 Fat.

Recipe provided courtesy of Merisant Corporation ® and the NutraSweet Company, makers of Equal®.

Click for more information on the artificial sweetner Aspartame.