Cheddar Sprinked Roasted Chicken

The past few days we've kinda-sorta-really been on a red meat kick.  Pot roast, steak, post-roast reinvented pasta...you get the idea.  Although I didn't think it was possible, we needed a break from the red meat.  (shh, don't tell my farm-family I said that!)

As you are all aware, I'm obsessed with whole chickens at the moment and after last nights succulence, there's really no end in sight.  I can't be sure if it's just because we've eaten ourselves sick of other meat this week, or if it was just really darn good, but last night, we almost ate the entire chicken it was so good. 

Mmm. Chicken.

Cheddar Sprinkled Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, brined for 24 hours
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 tbs. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tbs finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Remove chicken from brine and let sit on counter for about 1/2 hour before cooking.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Pat the chicken dry and sit in roasting pan--without the rack.  Spread entire stick of butter over chicken, sprinkle with Italian seasoning.  Pour chicken stock into bottom of pan and drop in bay leaf. 

Sit chicken in oven, and cook for about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Drizzle pan drippings every 20 minutes.  Turn oven to 380 and bake for another 20 minutes or until the thigh reaches about 175 degrees.  Do yourself a favor and use a meat thermometer--the skin is going to be delightfully crispy and traps the moisture in/helps it cook--cutting into the bird will release that. 

Remove from oven, and let bird sit for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Once cut, sprinkle cheddar cheese on moist chicken and potatoes.  MMM.