Got plans to fire up the grill on the Fourth of July? One of my favorite grilling recipes is butterflied, marinated, grilled chicken. It’s a real crowd-pleaser. This recipe calls for a marinade of lemon, garlic, shallots and herbs. It’s really versatile, and you could easily substitute other herbs (such as thyme, tarragon, etc.) for the rosemary suggested here. You could also add a splash of white or Rose winé to the marinade, as well. And, if you want to kick the spices up a notch for 4th of July fireworks, add a teaspoon or more of chili pepper flakes or cayenne chili powder to the marinade.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 Tbsp peeled and minced shallot
- 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest from 1 lemon, minced
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red-chili flakes or cayenne chili powder (optional), or more to taste
- 1 whole 3-4 lb. chicken, backbone removed and butterflied
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method:
- Place the olive oil, garlic, shallot, rosemary, chilies, lemon juice and lemon zest in a large baking dish or Zip-Loc plastic bag. Whisk the marinade ingredients together thoroughly. Place the chicken in the marinade, turning to coat both sides. Then put the chicken and marinade in the refrigerator for at least two, and up to eight hours for the marinade to penetrate and flavor the chicken.
- Heat a grill to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season well on both sides with salt and pepper. If you’d like, run a couple of skewers through the chicken to help hold the legs and wings together.
- Place the chicken on the grill, skin-side down, and grill slowly with the grill cover closed until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Watch for flare-ups! I keep a spray bottle filled with water next to me when I’m grilling to douse flair-ups.
- Turn the chicken over and continue to cook for another 15-20 minutes with the cover closed until the chicken is done and nicely crisp and browned on both sides.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes covered with foil before cutting. Cut the chicken in half or into pieces and serve with your favorite sides.
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THIS CONTENT IS FROM UTAH BITES NEWSLETTER.
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Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.
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