I have always cooked chicken on the grill. Either marinated boneless breasts or thighs, or bone-in breasts with BBQ sauce but, until recently I never cooked a whole chicken on the grill. If you are like me, keep reading because you will get rave reviews on this way to grill chicken.
Two things that are a must to make this work:
1. Great quality whole chicken. Around here you would go to Earth Fare, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
2. A grill that you can control the temperature, preferably a charcoal grill and best yet an egg type grill. It doesn't have to be the Cadillac grill the Green Egg but these type grill called Kamado grills, are the best for providing great smoky flavor and easy to control temperature. The top end cookers can cost over $800.00. What I use is an Akorn Kamado Kooker made by Chhar-Griller. You can get one for under $400.00. http://www.hayneedle.com/product/chargrillerredakornkamadokookerwithoptionalcover.cfm
Okay....let's get started.
- First, wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board and with a good pair of scissors, cut the back bone out of the chicken. If you want, ask your butcher to do this when you buy the chicken.
- When removed, turn the chicken over and press down on the breast bone to flatten the chicken out.
- Now, the fun part. In a small bowl, mix 2/3 to 1/2 a cup of olive oil with two teaspoon's each of sage, oregano and chopped fresh rosemary. You may also add other herbs or spices that suit you. Carefully lift the skin up off the breasts and thighs and rub this mixture under the skin onto the meat.
- This is all well and good BUT......here is what I prefer. Instead of olive oil, I use Duck Fat! The duck fat gives the chicken a much hardier flavor and adds a whole dimension to the grilling. If you can't find duck fat then go ahead with the olive oil or mix in a tablespoon of butter with the olive oil.
- Once done, sprinkle the outside with fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. It will look something like this:
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Now this is a big yard bird......about 5 pounds, but you can see it is oozing duck fat and spices. I also sprinkled some Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning on top
- Throw in a handful or two of wood chips. Now, I prefer apple wood to hickory. It is not as strong and won't overpower the chicken. I also don't soak them first as I don't want the wet chips to lower the temperature.
- Now place the chicken on the grill Breast Side Down.
- Close the grill top and leave it alone for 20 minutes. The combination of the smoke from the wood chips and the oil or fat dripping on the coals, creates a marvelous combination that browns the chicken.
- After 20 minutes, open the top and carefully turn the chicken breast side UP. It should look like this:
Let the chicken rest and come to room temperature while you light the grill.
When the coals are ready, bring the temperature up to 350 degrees and hold it there.
You think this looks good you should smell it!!!
- Now put the top down again, and let it cook for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the temp in the breast meat is 160 and the thigh is 175.
- Now, here is another aside: the best meat thermometer I have found is made by ThermoWorks and called Thermapen:
It ain't cheap but it is fast and accurate. http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/?gclid=CNm-9ofanL0CFRQaOgod7k8AOQ
Once cooked, take it off the grill, cover with foil and let it rest for ten minutes. Here it is ready for carving:
Folks, I will tell you that you will love the flavor. It is moist and all that fat and seasoning dripped off on the coals so it is not greasy at all.
What am I drinking with it??
The obvious choice with chicken is a white wine. But grilling the chicken gives it a hearty, smoky taste that can stand up to a red such as a Pinot Noir. If you have read my other posts, you know I like French wine so I would go with a Burgundy which is light enough not to over-power the chicken. But...the best summer wine for this chicken is rose'. I wrote a blog in May of 2011 about rose' so check it out.
