Spatched what?
So what does spatchcocked mean? Well, it’s when the backbone of the chicken is removed and you flatten the chicken out. It looks pretty and also helps the chicken pieces all finish cooking at the same time on the grill.
Occasionally I will do a recipe exactly as it is written and then the next time I make it maybe tweak it with some extra ingredients. This night I told my husband (GA or Papa G as he’s know around the brewery) that I had a whole chicken we (he) could throw on the grill. He searched around the internet and came up with this recipe from Food Network. It was delicious and he went to the store to buy the extra ingredients that we didn’t have on hand. He did it all, spatchcocking the chicken, of course, making the marinade, cooking it, carving it, and when we were finished eating, he deboned the remaining chicken and put in the refrigerator. What a guy!
The chicken was the star of the meal because all I had to serve with it was some leftover green beans and a baked potato.
The marinade was really nice; lemony and the dill was great. I have to say, I don’t think I have ever used dill in a chicken dish. We will make this again. Maybe next time with just leg quarters because that is what we both ate from the chicken; but we have the breast left for leftovers and I may make some egg drop soup with that chicken.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Need a nice soup to keep you warm? This Corn and Crab Bisque was a soup that we made for our family feast back in 2011. As you can see Paul is doing the prep for the bisque.
Getting some of the marinade ingredients ready.
Chicken laid out and ready to marinate.
Doesn’t that look beautifully browned?
Pour over the chicken some of the reserved marinade.
Grilled Spatchcocked Greek Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 3 1/2 to 4 pounds spatchcocked
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons and zest of 1
- 3 garlic cloves finely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions sliced
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- 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 zip-lock and set in a rimmed tray. 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.
Recipe Notes
*Recipe from Food Network
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