At our house we usually grill on Memorial Day and this grilled chicken with flavors of rosemary and Rosé wine is one of my favorites, and not just for Memorial Day. I suggest serving it with the same Rosé wine that goes into the marinade, such as a nice, sunny Rosé from Provence, in France.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 Tbsp peeled & minced shallot
- 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest from 1 lemon, minced
- ½ cup Rosé wine
- 1/2 tsp crushed red-chili flakes or chili powder (optional)
- 1 whole 3-4 lb. chicken, butterflied (also called spatchcocked)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method
- Place the olive oil, garlic, shallot, rosemary, chilies, lemon juice, wine, 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 charcoal or gas grill to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season well on both sides with salt and pepper. Discard the used marinade.
- 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.
- 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. Undoubtedly, there will be flare-ups and the chicken skin might burn in spots. Keep a spray bottle filled with water handy to extinguish flare-ups.
- 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.
