Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken Recipes

GRILLED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove the backbone with kitchen shears. Cut along the backbone on both sides from the neck to the tail section
• Put the chicken breast side down and cut through the breast bone plate at the center and top of the chicken breast.Flip the chicken so the breast side is up and push down on the chicken breast untill the the rib cage flattens.
• Take some paper towels or a kitchen towel and dry the chicken so that the olive oil and seasoning will stick.
• Add the olive oil all over the chicken to coat everything possible. You want to do all sides.
• Preheat the grill to 450°. You want to setup two-zone heating if possible.Add the chicken breast side down when the grill is upto temp. Watch the chicken, when the skin is crispy and brown and not sticking, flip it over and let it cook on the backside.If you were able to setup two-zone heat then move the chicken to the side without direct heat. Rotate from time to time to make sure the chicken cooks evenly.Remove when the temp hits 160°.
• Allow the chicken to rest and come up to temp and to allow the juices to distribute throughout the meat.After the temp hits the 165° and has rested for 10 minutes or so go ahead and cut-up and serve.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED GREEK CHICKEN

Steps:

• To spatchcock the chicken, use strong kitchen scissors or poultry shears and cut down either side of the spine. Pull out the spine, turn the chicken over and press down on the breast of the chicken to flatten it out to one thickness.
• Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Put the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag in a rimmed dish. Pour in half of the marinade, reserving the rest for serving later. Seal the bag and rotate it around to evenly distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously all over with salt and pepper; let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off one of the middle burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.)
• Place the chicken skin-side up on the indirect side of the grill with the legs facing the hotter side. Cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 150 to 160 degrees F (almost cooked through), about 50 minutes.
• Move the chicken over to the direct-heat side of the grill. After 2 minutes, flip the chicken to char and crisp up the skin side, another 3 or 4 minutes. Check that the temperature in the thigh is now at least 165 degrees F. If it is not, then move the chicken back to the indirect side, cover and cook until the final temperature is reached. Remove from the grill; let rest 20 minutes before carving.
• Stir the scallions and dill into the reserved marinade. Drizzle over the chicken or serve on the side.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prep:Puree onion, garlic, herbs, oil, and zest in a food processor. Rub some puree under skin of chicken breast. Rub remaining puree over rest of bird. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 8 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Wipe off most of rub; season with salt and pepper.
• Grill:Heat grill to medium-high, or set up for indirect heat. Grill chicken, breast side down, covered with vent open, until nicely charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Flip; cook 30 minutes more. Flip again; grill until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in thickest part of breast, 5 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCK FIRECRACKER CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for direct and indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes, turn off one of the side burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.) If your grill has a thermometer, aim to keep the temperature at about 350 degrees F throughout grilling.
• To spatchcock the chicken: Use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone from the chicken. Lay the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board and use a large knife to cut through the breastbone but not into the flesh. Push the chicken down to flatten it. Cut the wings off at the third joint (at the wing tip). Line a plate with paper towels and put the chicken on it skin-side down to dry the skin. Sprinkle the non-skin side generously with salt and pepper.
• Oil the grill grates thoroughly. Put the chicken on the indirect-heat side of the grill skin-side down and top with a large cast-iron skillet. Cover the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the skin is golden and very crisp, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, sugar, hot sauce, vinegar and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
• Remove the skillet from the chicken and put it on the direct-heat side of the grill (leave the chicken where it is). Pour the soy mixture into the skillet and bring it to a boil. Immediately transfer the chicken to the skillet with tongs and coat both sides in the sauce. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve with flatbread.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make brine In a large pot, cook zests, sugar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, and the water over high heat, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar have completely dissolved. Remove from heat, add ice cubes, and stir until completely cooled.
• Brine chicken Submerge the chicken in the cooled brine, skin side down, and allow it to soak, covered, for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, make glaze Whisk together the honey and citrus juices in a small bowl.
• Grill chicken Heat grill to medium-low (see Grill Temperature Guidelines on page 162). When it is hot, scrub with a grill brush and sweep lightly with oil. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Set on grill, skin side down. To flatten chicken during cooking, rest a small baking sheet on top of chicken and place two foil-wrapped bricks (or other heatproof weights) on the baking sheet fig.3.14. Grill until skin side is golden brown and releases easily from grate, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip chicken with tongs and brush with some glaze, then cover grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165°F, about 10 to 15 minutes more, brushing with glaze two more times. Transfer to a carving board, skin side up, and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Serve Carve chicken as shown on page 130, and serve.
• When cooking a whole (not spatchcocked) chicken on the grill, the challenge is to allow it enough time to cook through before the skin becomes too crisp and charred. The solution is to wait to crisp the skin at the end. Heat grill to high, and start with the chicken over indirect heat, breast side up; cover grill, and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The internal temperature of the legs should register 165°F. If not, cover the grill and continue cooking until it does (check every 5 minutes or so). Then flip chicken, breast side down, and grill over direct heat to crisp the skin, about 2 minutes, rotating the chicken 90 degrees after a minute so the skin will cook evenly. Remove from grill and let rest on a carving board for 5 to 10 minutes before carving and serving.
• Like a whole chicken, individual chicken parts are prone to drying out on the grill if overcooked (160°F for breasts, 165°F for legs). Just be mindful of the times below, and take off each part as it is done. To keep meat moist, leave the skin on or, before cooking, brine chicken pieces for 1 to 3 hours in the refrigerator in a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup coarse salt, 8 cups water, and the herbs of your choice. You could also rub them with Spice Paste (page 173) before grilling, or brush them with All-Purpose Grilling Sauce (page 177) about 5 minutes before you take them off the grill. And, of course, you can leave out those treatments altogether and simply season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat grill to medium-high; pat dry chicken. First sear over direct heat, then finish over indirect (medium) heat. Split breasts require 30 to 35 minutes total, legs 18 to 22, thighs 15 to 20, and wings 11 to 13.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED GREEK CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, rosemary, and tarragon together in a measuring cup.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1/2 of the oil mixture over the chicken and reserve the remaining 1/2. Using your hands, massage the oil mixture into the chicken skin. Season with salt and pepper.
• Grill chicken skin-side up over indirect heat for 50 minutes. Move chicken over direct heat and grill 5 minutes. Carefully flip chicken over skin-side down and grill until skin is brown and crispy, about 5 more minutes. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Drizzle reserved oil mixture over the chicken. Carve and serve.