This is a great recipe for a whole grilled chicken. It has an amazing flavor and comes out juicy and smokey, perfect for a summer bbq. It does take a while to grill though. I think it will work even better if the chicken is quartered first to cut down the grilling time and to help it cook evenly. The original recipe is here.
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice and zest of 2 lemons
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (the original recipe includes regular paprika but smoked adds great smokey flavor)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper more if you like spicy
- 5 garlic cloves peeled and minced (or more if you like garlic. The original recipe lists 12)
Chicken:
- 3 – 3.5 lb whole chicken or chicken parts, bone – in
- Salt to taste, about 1 tablespoon
Instructions
Spatchcock the chicken: using a pair of sturdy kitchen shears cut out the backbone by cutting along both sides of the spine, and remove it. Push down on the breasts to flatten the chicken. Remove the wing tips. Using chicken bone-in chicken parts will eliminate this step, and this is what we are trying next time.
Pat chicken dry and season with salt all over, lift the skin and apply salt underneath. Be generous with the salt, I used about 1 tablespoon.
In a bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, spices, and minced garlic cloves).
Place the chicken in a large dish and pour the marinade over it. Flip the chicken a couple of times to make sure the chicken is well coated with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours.
Preheat an outdoor grill over medium-high (400 degrees F), lightly oil the grates. Place the chicken over indirect heat (this means, the burner or burners directly below the chicken should be turned off, while the outer burners surrounding it should remain on. Watch the video in this post). Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Rotate as needed to make sure it cooks evenly.
Remove the chicken from the heat and set aside to rest for 10 minutes before slicing through to serve.
We served this whole grilled chicken with grilled zucchini, potatoes, and tomato bruschetta – a perfect Saturday night meal.
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