Most people that try to grill chicken tend to burn them or under cook them, but I’m going to show you how to grill half chickens that turn out perfect. A lot of people will take their chicken and coat it with a bunch of barbecue sauce then throw it on the grill. This is a recipe for burnt chicken. I’ll show you how to do it better.
Grilling chicken halves might be my favorite way to make chicken, they don’t take long and they turn out so good. Moist, delicious chicken with a crisp skin, there is nothing better. So, let’s get on to how to grill half chickens.
First off you are going to need to prepare your chicken. Get yourself a chicken somewhere around 4 lbs. Better yet grab a couple of chickens because you will definitely want to share or have some leftovers. Once you have your chicken you will want to cut it in half. To do this take a pair of poultry shears, I use these, and cut lengthwise down both sides of the backbone from the neck to the tail. You can toss the backbone or save it for chicken stock.
Once the backbone is removed, turn the chicken over and open it like a book. Using your poultry shears cut the chicken lengthwise along one side of the breast bone. At this point the chicken will be halved. You just need to remove the breast bone which is attached to one of the chicken halves. Sometimes I’m lazy with this part and just cut it down the middle and leave the breast bone attached. It will work whichever way you do it.
Now, just remove any excess skin that is hanging with the poultry shears. Now we are ready to add a rub. I always use a chicken rub when grilling half chickens, as it adds a ton of flavor. Use your favorite chicken rub whatever that may be; otherwise you can also find premade rubs at most grocery stores. You can just use a bit of salt and pepper if you prefer.
Put the chicken halves in a baking dish and sprinkle on the rub. Pat it into the chicken on both sides. Cover it and put it in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours. The longer you let it stand the better flavor you will get.
Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over medium heat. We are going to grill these chicken halves right over the heat. If you are using a charcoal grill, try to keep a cooler area to move the chicken to in case of flare-ups. Place the chicken halves on the grill skin side down. Grill for around 10 to 12 minutes. Turn the half chickens over and grill for another 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure to watch for flare-ups.
If you like barbecue sauce during the last 5 minutes of grill is when you brush it on. Brush a bit of the sauce on the skin side then flip the chicken halves. Grill for a couple of minutes, then brush the bone side and flip the chicken again. Grill for another few minutes.
Once the chicken is done remove from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. This is how to grill half chickens that turn out great every time. Now feel free to experiment with different rubs, or try adding a bit of smoke. Another thing you can do is grill the chicken halves indirect. This will take about 40 to 50 minutes to finish grilling this way, and you do not have to flip the chicken. Whichever way you grill it; half chickens are really good on the grill.
image courtesy of adactio/flickr