Foodies
Walking into the back yard, the hums of music and laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the warm summer breeze cooling us from the heat of the day all herald good things to come. The food sizzling on the grill ignites a plethora of aromas that make you salivate in anticipation of the meal ahead.
It's easy to grill a whole spatchcock chicken, [why not even two?] but what’s really interesting is; I am unaware of many people who actually cook chicken this way. It’s simple and so much easier than preparing and cooking chicken pieces. A whole bird just flipped over on the grill does make for a rather tasty treat.
It’s simply rubbed down with freshly crushed garlic, a splash of lemon juice a, smidgin of mayonnaise, all of which makes this chicken flavorful to the very last mouthful. The dip comprised of cilantro, jalapeño and lime juice that accompanies the chicken is something I have become truly fond of.
As an FYI (for your information) spatchcock chicken has a deep history dating back to early documented recipes from 1775 to 1785. Spatchcocking (also known as butterflying) is a very easy recipe, involving removal of the backbone and then flattening the chicken out. This allows you to season on both sides before grilling on an open fire. Another great bonus is that it cuts down the cooking time of a whole bird by up to 40 minutes.
This is one of those must-do meals for a lazy summer evening with friends and family happily making memories for tomorrow.
Here is what you will need:
2 grilling chickens (3 to 4 lbs)
8 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup freshly chopped parsley
1 ½ lemons freshly squeezed
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
Season with freshly cracked black pepper
Season with sea salt
The Super Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce
2 jalapeños roughly chopped.
2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped.
2 green onions, chopped.
2 cloves garlic peeled.
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lime juice
Pinch of freshly ground salt and cracked black pepper.
The all important how to:
Preparing the chicken is easy. Using kitchen scissors, cut along one side of backbone, then cut other side. Once the backbone has been removed, flip chicken over so the inside is facing up and, using sharp kitchen knife, notch each side of breastbone out, making it easier to carve once cooked. Fold and tuck the wing tips behind breasts making it nice and flat.
Making the Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce: Combine jalapeños, cilantro, green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lime juice, salt, and black pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Place inside a sealable container and refrigerate until required.
For the chicken place the crushed garlic, parsley, lemon juice, mayonnaise and 1/2 teaspoon each sea salt and cracked black pepper into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Rub 6 tablespoons all over both chicken’s front and back. Cover the chicken in saran wrap and let sit for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator.
Heat the grill to medium-high. Once the grill has achieved the desired temperature (350°F) place chicken, skin side up, over direct heat and grill until beginning to char, 2 minutes or so. Flip over and transfer to an indirect heat, brush the remaining sauce all over and cook, with the lid down, for 20 minutes.
Turn the chicken over and continue grilling until internal temperature of thigh registers 165°F, 20 to 25 minutes more depending on size of chicken. Once cooked through, transfer to a wooden cutting board and let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving into pieces.
I love to serve this with a nice garden-fresh salad and petite potatoes dusted in melted butter and fresh chopped parsley. Happy summer grilling!
Ian Leatt is a trained chef from across the pond.
