How to Grill a WHOLE CHICKEN on the Barbecue
How is your summer going so far? We managed to squeeze in some beach time between weeding and feeding animals, so that's good! Summer will be over before you know it so we made a commitment to spend the hot days with the kids. It's just too hot for working anyway!
One thing I haven't feel like doing lately, is cooking... Especially on these really hot days, my appetite is just not there. So I have a solution to the ''Feeding the kids'' problem. I get hubby to cook a whole chicken on the barbecue! A big one with that, so there's lots of leftovers...
Here is a recipe for that delicious grilled chicken on the barbecue (Marinade is not necessary with our chickens because they taste delicious just on their own!):
Ingredients:
- 1 whole Thyme for Ewe Farm chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds) spatchcocked
- For the marinade:
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons and zest of 1
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
Directions:
Special equipment: Strong scissors or poultry shears
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.
Marinade:(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: 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. Make sure to avoid flare ups by turning off the burner directly under the chicken.
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.
Now that brought my appetite back! Hoping you spend lots of time with friends and family on this beautiful summer in Cape Breton.
Warmly,
Estelle
PS: Your only chance at getting FRESH grass-fed BEEF this summer is this Saturday July 21 at the Farmers Market! There will be lots of steaks for the barbecue as well, but they won't last long. So come on and stock up for the summer.
There will be half and quarters of beef available in the fall.