Grilled Garlic Greek Chicken Food

GRILLED GREEK CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, oregano leaves, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Pat the chicken dry and place in a re-sealable plastic bag. Pour the mixture over the chicken and seal the bag, pressing out any excess air, and then turn the bag over several times to distribute the marinade. Put the chicken bag in a shallow dish and marinate, in the refrigerator, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
• Place a grill pan over moderately-high heat until very hot. Place the chicken skin-side down and cook until well browned, 10 to 13 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan and finish cooking in the oven until golden brown and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before serving.

GRILLED GREEK CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and vinegar together in a large bowl.
• Make 2 slashes on the skin side down to the bone in the thigh section and 1 in the leg section of each leg quarter. This will help infuse pieces with marinade and allow faster cooking on the grill. Season both sides of chicken generously with kosher salt. Transfer to bowl with marinade and thoroughly coat all sides. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 12 hours.
• Transfer chicken to paper-towel-lined sheet pan to drain slightly.
• Place leg quarters on grill skin side down over semi-direct heat (avoid intense direct heat so chicken cooks evenly and skin doesn't burn). Cook 6 or 7 minutes. Turn chicken and cook another 6 to 7 minutes. Continue cooking and turning until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 8 to 10 more minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED GREEK CHICKEN

Steps:

• 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.
• 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: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), 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. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.)
• 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.