Recipe(tried): Chicken and cheese dinner

Here is the recipe for Sunday’s roast chicken dinner at my house. This is based on a
recipe that used goat cheese and southwestern flavors of cilantro and lime. I adapted it for
what I had, so it ended up Mediterranean. I also cooked only half a small chicken, and put
the stuffing on the thigh and leg meat, too. I baked it in the oven instead of using the grill,
since it was pouring. It was an outstanding dish!

Chicken Stuffed with Cheese

For stuffing chicken:
4 ounces mild feta cheese (original recipe used goat cheese)
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed (none in original)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, flat-leaf parsley, and mint (original used only cilantro)
salt and pepper
1 5-pound roasting chicken

For flavored basting butter:
1/2 cup olive oil (original used all butter)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (none in original)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons dry white wine or dry vermouth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (original used lime)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (original used lime)
salt and pepper

Mix cheese, butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Blend well. Loosen skin over the breast
of the chicken with your fingers and stuff the cheese mixture between the skin and breast
meat, patting the mixture out as evenly as possible. Pull skin back into place. Truss
chicken, if desired. Brush all over generously with basting butter.

Grill over very hot coals and, turning and basting with flavored butter about every 10
minutes, until chicken is cooked through and well browned all over (the skin over the
breasts gets quite dark because of the stuffing underneath). Depending on your fire and
cooking method, it could be done in as little as 45 minutes. Ensure the chicken is cooked
thoroughly by piercing on the inside of the thigh meat - if the juices have pink in it, it isn’t
done!

Let chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving for service. If you want, use the
basting butter on veggies that you cook along with the chicken.