Chinese Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons cooking sherry dry
• 0.5 teaspoon fennel seed crushed
• 1 large clove garlic pressed
• 0.1 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 4 pound roasting chickens fresh whole thawed
• 2 tablespoons kikkoman lite soy sauce 
• 0.3 teaspoon sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 

Equipment

• paper towels
• oven
• roasting pan
• kitchen thermometer
• aluminum foil

Directions

1. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken under cold running water; drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Pierce chicken thoroughly with fork.
2. Place chicken, breast side up, in shallow, foil-lined roasting pan.
3. Combine lite soy sauce, sherry, oil, garlic, fennel, ginger, sugar and cloves.
4. Brush cavity and skin thoroughly with sauce mixture.
5. Roast in 325 degrees F. oven 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180, brushing chicken occasionally with remaining sauce mixture during last 40 minutes of roasting time.
6. Remove chicken from oven and let stand 10 minutes before carving.