This dinner was one of those “I need to write down exactly what I did before I forget” meals.
A juicy spatchcocked chicken roasted over lemon, rosemary, and thyme, served with a creamy garlic-Parmesan sauce that gets an extra protein boost from low-fat cottage cheese. We paired ours with green beans and baked beans, and it was absolutely a keeper.
Lemon Herb Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 5.2 pounds, spatchcocked
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Lemon juice
- Water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Add a generous amount of thyme and rosemary to the bottom of your roasting pan. Pour in lemon juice and enough water to create a shallow layer of liquid across the bottom.
Place the spatchcocked chicken in the pan, skin-side up. Rub approximately 1 tablespoon olive oil over the chicken and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.
Roast at 425°F, beginning to check the chicken at around 45 minutes. Depending on the chicken and your oven, it may take approximately 45–60 minutes.
Check the thickest portions with a meat thermometer, avoiding the bone. The chicken should reach at least 165°F.
Let the chicken rest for 10–15 minutes before carving.
High-Protein Garlic Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese — 12g protein per serving
- ½ cup 2% milk
- ¾–1 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 big scoop minced garlic — aka jarlic
- Black pepper
Instructions
Add the cottage cheese, milk, garlic, and pepper to a blender.
Blend until completely smooth. This is the trick that turns the cottage cheese into a creamy sauce without any cottage-cheese chunks.
Pour into a saucepan and warm gently over low to medium-low heat.
Gradually whisk in the Parmesan until melted and creamy. Use anywhere from ¾ cup to 1 cup, depending on how cheesy and thick you want it.
Don’t let the sauce come to a hard boil. Gentle heat keeps it creamy and smooth.
Spoon that glorious garlic-Parmesan sauce right over the chicken.
What We Served With It
We served the chicken with green beans and baked beans, then poured the creamy sauce over the chicken.
The result was juicy, herby, lemony chicken with a rich-tasting sauce that secretly had low-fat cottage cheese hiding in it.
Nutrition Note
This is a high-protein meal, with protein coming from both the chicken and cottage-cheese Parmesan sauce.
For a more LDL-conscious version, using low-fat cottage cheese was a great choice. Olive oil takes the place of butter, and pairing the meal with vegetables and beans adds fiber. Parmesan and chicken skin contribute saturated fat, so portions of those are worth keeping in mind if lowering LDL is a goal.
And yes, I ate some of that crispy chicken skin. We’re making dinner, not serving a prison sentence.