Spatchcock Grilled Chicken

Simple but delicious, perfect for Sunday night dinner with a glass of wine and a good side salad. This would also be perfect for an intimate Christmas dinner. 

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Spatchcock Grilled Chicken Printable Recipe

1 Whole chicken 
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
2 Lemons, Juiced and Zested
3 Garlic Cloves, finely grated 
2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Oregano
1 Tbsp. Paprika
Kosher salt 
Freshly ground black pepper 
2 scallions, sliced 
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh Dill

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.

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano,  1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 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 into a separate bowl and reserve for later. Mix the paprika into the remaining half of the marinade and pour on the chicken. Seal the bag and rotate it around to evenly distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade; 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.

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 reads to 160 degrees F, about 50-65 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.

Serve and enjoy.



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*You can also cook this in an oven. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees F. bake your chicken for an 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the internal temperature on the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy :)

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