Grilled Spatchcock Firecracker Chicken Food

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make brine In a large pot, cook zests, sugar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, and the water over high heat, stirring occasionally, until salt and sugar have completely dissolved. Remove from heat, add ice cubes, and stir until completely cooled.
• Brine chicken Submerge the chicken in the cooled brine, skin side down, and allow it to soak, covered, for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, make glaze Whisk together the honey and citrus juices in a small bowl.
• Grill chicken Heat grill to medium-low (see Grill Temperature Guidelines on page 162). When it is hot, scrub with a grill brush and sweep lightly with oil. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Set on grill, skin side down. To flatten chicken during cooking, rest a small baking sheet on top of chicken and place two foil-wrapped bricks (or other heatproof weights) on the baking sheet fig.3.14. Grill until skin side is golden brown and releases easily from grate, 8 to 10 minutes. Flip chicken with tongs and brush with some glaze, then cover grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165°F, about 10 to 15 minutes more, brushing with glaze two more times. Transfer to a carving board, skin side up, and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Serve Carve chicken as shown on page 130, and serve.
• When cooking a whole (not spatchcocked) chicken on the grill, the challenge is to allow it enough time to cook through before the skin becomes too crisp and charred. The solution is to wait to crisp the skin at the end. Heat grill to high, and start with the chicken over indirect heat, breast side up; cover grill, and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The internal temperature of the legs should register 165°F. If not, cover the grill and continue cooking until it does (check every 5 minutes or so). Then flip chicken, breast side down, and grill over direct heat to crisp the skin, about 2 minutes, rotating the chicken 90 degrees after a minute so the skin will cook evenly. Remove from grill and let rest on a carving board for 5 to 10 minutes before carving and serving.
• Like a whole chicken, individual chicken parts are prone to drying out on the grill if overcooked (160°F for breasts, 165°F for legs). Just be mindful of the times below, and take off each part as it is done. To keep meat moist, leave the skin on or, before cooking, brine chicken pieces for 1 to 3 hours in the refrigerator in a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup coarse salt, 8 cups water, and the herbs of your choice. You could also rub them with Spice Paste (page 173) before grilling, or brush them with All-Purpose Grilling Sauce (page 177) about 5 minutes before you take them off the grill. And, of course, you can leave out those treatments altogether and simply season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat grill to medium-high; pat dry chicken. First sear over direct heat, then finish over indirect (medium) heat. Split breasts require 30 to 35 minutes total, legs 18 to 22, thighs 15 to 20, and wings 11 to 13.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN WITH HONEY, CHILE AND LEMON

Steps:

• The day before cooking, spatchcock and season the chicken: Remove the spindly wing tips by cutting through the first wing joint with heavy-duty kitchen scissors. Lay the chicken breast side down. Using the scissors again, snip along both sides of the spine to remove it. (Reserve or freeze the spine for stock.) Open up the chicken and flip it over, placing it breast up and with the legs toward you on your cutting board. With one palm on top of the other in the center of the breast, press down until you feel the cartilage crack and the bird lies flat.
• Use the tip of a sharp knife to make three parallel slices in each breast, then three in each leg; each incision should go down to the bone and be about 3 inches long. Rub the sea salt all over, including in the incisions, seasoning more heavily on the underside of the bird.
• In a small bowl, mix the juice of 2 1/2 lemons with the honey, oregano, chile flakes and pepper. Pour 1/3 cup of this marinade over the chicken and refrigerate the remaining marinade for grilling.
• Trim the ends of the 1/2 lemon, then slice it into 12 very thin half-moons and remove any seeds. Tuck the lemon slices into each of the incisions on the chicken, sliding the cut side in and leaving the peel exposed.
• Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet, breast side up, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 or up to 24 hours.
• Two hours before cooking the chicken, take it out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
• Prepare the grill: Clean the grate thoroughly and light the coals. The bird should cook over low, indirect heat. The coals are ready when they're gray and dusty, rather than glowing red.
• Place the bird on the grill, breast side down, discarding any liquid left behind. Watch your chicken like a hawk for the first few minutes and flip the bird if the skin starts to char. When the chicken is lightly colored, or after 10 minutes, flip it over and baste with the reserved marinade. Close the lid on the grill and cook for 40 to 50 minutes more, flipping and basting the chicken every 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the chickpeas: Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. When it's a chunky paste, stir in olive oil and lemon. In a large shallow serving bowl, toss the chickpeas with 1/4 cup dressing and season to taste with sea salt. (Reserve the remaining dressing for the chicken.)
• When the chicken has been cooking for 60 minutes, take its temperature: The meat should feel firm and an instant-read thermometer should read 165 degrees when inserted near the bone of the thickest part of the breast and leg. The chicken may need another 5 to 10 minutes grilling with the lid closed. If you want more char on the breast, cook breast side down; if there is enough color, continue to cook breast side up.
• Once the chicken is cooked, set it on top of the chickpeas. If you have any remaining baste, pour it over the bird. Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving on a cutting board.
• Use a large knife or cleaver to remove both thighs and legs. Separate both breasts, then cut each in half crosswise, creating 8 pieces. Place the chicken pieces back on the chickpeas and drizzle the chicken with the reserved oregano dressing. Cut the remaining lemon into quarters for squeezing on top, and dollop with Greek yogurt, if desired.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place salt in a large bowl or Dutch oven and add a little water. Stir until salt is dissolved. Unwrap the chicken and place in the salt water brine. Add enough water to cover the bird and refrigerate up to 4 hours.
• Remove chicken from the water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down on a clean cutting board.
• Cut along both sides of the backbone of the chicken with kitchen shears. Remove bone and reserve for another use or discard. With the skin-side down, cut down into the breast bone and a bit of the cartilage above the bone about 1/4-inch deep using the tip of a sharp knife. Turn the chicken skin-side up.
• Place the heel of one hand on top of the other wrist, and using the heel of the hand, press down on the center of the breast, above the area of the cut, to flatten the center and achieve a more uniform thickness of the chicken.
• Combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub spice mix onto both sides of the chicken, gently lifting the skin wherever possible to place some of the rub directly onto the meat. Refrigerate seasoned chicken uncovered for at least 2 hours.
• Remove chicken from the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes before grilling so it can come to room temperature.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat to about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil the grate.
• Place chicken bone-side down onto the preheated grill and cook for 50 to 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 150 degrees F (65 degrees C). Flip the chicken skin-side up and brush with barbecue sauce. Continue grilling until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 20 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Remove to a platter, tent with foil, and allow chicken to rest, about 10 minutes. Cut chicken into 6 servings and serve with additional barbecue sauce, if desired.

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.

GARLIC AND HERB SPATCHCOCK GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat with both direct and indirect heat zones, preferably with hardwood or hardwood charcoal. Separate leaves from 5 rosemary sprigs, then coarsely chop leaves. Tie remaining sprigs together with kitchen twine to form a brush. Combine garlic and oil in a measuring cup.
• Place chicken breast side down on work surface. Spatchcock chicken by cutting along both sides of backbone with kitchen shears; reserve backbone for stock. Turn chicken over, breast side up, and splay open. Press down on breastbone with palms until you hear it crack and chicken is as flat as possible. Tuck the wings behind the breasts, then tuck in the legs so the bottoms of the drumsticks are pointed away from the body and chicken is as flat as possible.
• Brush all sides of both pieces of chicken with the garlic-oil using rosemary brush. Sprinkle all sides with chopped rosemary leaves, salt, and pepper.
• Grill both pieces of chicken, skin side down, over direct heat, until skin is golden brown, crispy, and lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Flip both pieces of chicken over, transfer to indirect heat, and baste with rosemary brush dipped in garlic-oil.
• Continue to grill chicken, basting occasionally, until skin is golden brown, juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165°F, 45-60 minutes for whole chicken and 25-35 minutes for chicken breast. Let chicken stand at least 10 minutes before carving. Arrange chicken on a serving platter and serve with chimichurri sauce alongside.