Yesterday I opted to cook up some ground pork rather than cook the chicken I had waiting in the fridge. Today though, there were no excuses. It's cooler out so heating up the kitchen to roast the chicken in the oven didn't seem like the worst idea in the world. The Hubs though, fresh from his triumph cooking chicken breasts on the grill, suggested that we cook the chicken on the grill.
The chicken, under its brick
I've been wanting to make chicken under a brick, so it seemed like the perfect treatment for the chicken. In order to grill a whole chicken you have to butterfly it. I was really trying to be a big girl and butterfly the chicken myself, but the Hubs put on his white armor and stepped up to do the butterflying for me. I kept trying to explain the process to him but he was having a hard time visualizing it, so a quick You Tube search revealed this great video. After a quick review of the video, the Hubs was ready to go.
While the Hubs made quick work of the chicken and got the coals hot, I prepared the side dishes. I cut the baby Yukon gold potatoes into quarters and put them into a foil pouch with balsamic vinegar, some orange juice, a few orange slices and a sprig of fresh rosemary. (The foil pouch cooked the potatoes well, but it didn't leave them crispy, so we finished them on the grill to crisp up one side.) Then I took the bunch of fresh turnips I'd gotten from the farmer's market and sliced them thinly to put into their own foil pouch. The turnips got a healthy dose of salt, a pat of butter and some olive oil. Making the entire dinner on the grill (in foil pouches) was a great idea and it made the clean up very simple. Overall, chicken under a brick was a great idea and the citrus flavors gave the chicken a great flavor. It was a great dinner.
Citrus Grilled Chicken Under a Brick
1 whole chicken
1 orange
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Start you grill heating and then butterfly the chicken. Take a brick and wrap it in several layers of tin foil. When the chicken is butterflied, salt and pepper it generously. Then work your fingers between the chicken skin and the chicken meat. When the chicken skin is loosened, slide an orange and lemon slice along with a sprig of thyme under the skin, working the fruit back so that it is secure under the skin. Then drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken rubbing around to cover the chicken. At this point the chicken is ready for the grill. Put it on the center of the grill, skin side up and place the brick on top of the chicken. Cook the chicken, flipping it occasionally, until the chicken has reached 165 degrees. Serve with the potatoes and turnips on the side. Bon Appetit!
Serves 4
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