roastedchickenIf you’ve been following my blog or our newsletter you know that my mind is focused on pimento cheese. It’s only natural – when friends come over for dinner that it is what they want to sample. At the Charleston Wine & Food Festival this past weekend, almost every sampler asked for creative uses for the southern staple and this is by far my favorite. I’ve done the simple sandwich, the toast points and the fancy patty melt (it’s been on my mind since dining at the Cypress bar), but this recipe is just plain fabulous. Basic roast chicken gets a true makeover with little to no fuss and the pimento cheese mixed with pico and avocado perfectly melds the South and Southwest.

P.S. the “birds nest” is a great trick which translates to roasting most meats

Roasted Pimento Cheese Chicken

Ingredients

  • 4 split chicken breasts
  • 4 tablespoons of pimento cheese (use your favorite)
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 2 limes, one juiced and one for garnish
  • 4 tablespoons of your favorite pico de gallo
  • tortilla chips
    birds nest:
  • 3 stalks of celery, cut in half
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 8-10 small baby carrots
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled
  • salt
  • pepper
  • olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees
  2. Toss all of the birds nest ingredients with salt, pepper, and olive oil and place it in the bottom of a cast iron skillet or other pan – this will be the “nest” for you bird
  3. Toss the chicken breasts in lime juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil and lay on the nest
  4. Cover with foil for slow roasting and place in the oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the juices run clear
  5. Remove the chicken from the over and uncover
  6. Turn the oven to broil and broil on high for 6-8 minutes until the skin is nice and crisp
  7. Top the chicken with a healthy dollop of pimento cheese, a few avocado slices, a scoop of pico de gallo, and crumbled tortilla chips
  8. Return the skillet to the broiler for about 3 minutes (just enough to let the pimento cheese soften and bubble just slightly
  9. Serve with a simple roasted vegetable like asparagus
  10. Enjoy!

And…
Just in case you your feeling more like red meat than chicken – I make a mean patty melt on thin white sandwich bread. Just use a good quality white bread, and top your burger with grilled or sauteed onions and a very generous heaping of pimento cheese.