Roasted Chicken w/ lime, chili & cream cheese

This roast chicken is tender, sweet, and spicy.  It's one of our favorite ways to roast a chicken (or chicken breasts w/ skins on).  Enjoy!

Roast Chicken w/ lime, chili & cream cheese

Heat oven to 400F-425F.

 

You will need a whole 4 lb. chicken (if smaller chicken, cooking time will be slightly lower)

 

Use your fingers to separate the skin from the meat across the chicken breasts and over the tops of the chicken legs

 

In a small bowl, mix the following together:

 

Zest and juice of 1 lime (save the lime left and put inside chicken, if desired)

½ cup plain OR herbs & garlic cream cheese

1 mild fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped (okay to just leave seeds in, just makes it spicier)

• If you don’t have a fresh red chili, use ½-1 tsp chili pepper flakes.

 

Put your hand INSIDE a plastic bag to do this next part, or you’ll end up with very spicy fingers (which I always end up sticking in my eyes). 

 

Pack the cream cheese mixture “under the skin” of the chicken, trying to distribute evenly.  This feels weird the first time you try it, but it’s SO worth it.  You can pull and separate the skin from the meat enough to slide your hand in and push in the mixture.  You want to make sure you get some mixture on the breasts and lets of the chicken.

 

Put the chicken in a roasting pan, and squeeze the juice from another lime over it.  I like to then stick the pieces of remaining lime inside the chicken to aid with moisture.

 

Cook for about 1 ½ hours, until chicken is fully cooked.  If the top gets too browned, cover w/ foil towards the end of cooking. 

 

Slice and put on platter to serve. Pour the pan juices over chicken before serving.

 

(note: you can make this with just chicken breasts, but they MUST have the skins on them) Obviously, this lowers the cooking time dramatically, so consult a cookbook prior to cooking for appropriate cook times.

 

Delicious when served with potato wedges or sweet potato fries.

Enjoy!