Braai the perfect chicken - recipes

Published Oct 24, 2014

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Washington - In barbecue circles, chicken might as well be a vegetable.

Oh, people like it just fine, but it's not taken seriously. Not like chops, sausage or ribs. Chicken is the meat world's tofu: a blank canvas for flavours, without much of its own.

I grill chicken every two or three weeks, sometimes whole, sometimes in parts. I'm crazy about its mild taste and ability to play well with other flavours. Like a genial friend, chicken should be prized, not derided, for its adaptability.

The problem is that for most people, putting chicken over the fire turns dinnertime into a display of confounding results. The white meat may be perfectly moist, but the dark meat is as underdone as a novel's first draft. And don't get me started on the skin, which too often comes out rubbery or burned or every which way but enjoyable.

The key to appreciating braaied chicken as much as I do is in understanding how to treat it. If the heat is too high, the skin will burn before the meat can cook. If too low, the skin ends up flabby. The challenge - which is really no different from that of chicken roasted in the oven - is to not dry out the white meat while waiting for the dark meat to cook through, or, conversely, to not undercook the dark meat when the white meat is done.

The best way to avoid the problem is to butterfly, or spatchcock, the bird. By more or less flattening it, you get the chicken to cook more evenly. You also assure crisped skin.

In his book Where There's Smoke (Sterling Epicure, 2013), chef Barton Seaver says size matters. “Smaller birds are easier to manage on the grill in terms of ensuring doneness,” he writes. A chickent that weighs about three pounds (about 1.36kg) is easy to cook uniformly. But I like a bird that weighs right around four pounds (1.8kg). It is hefty enough to provide a lot of meat in each part, but small enough to yield uniform results. Anything above five pounds (2.2kg) is dicey.

I grill chicken directly over medium heat for a few minutes on an indirect fire to crisp the skin, then move it to the cool side of the grate to gently cook the meat through and let it take on the flavours of the coals. When it's almost done, I use long-handled tongs to transport the chicken to the hot side for a few more minutes. That finishes crisping the skin and gives it a nice char.

I've cooked chicken that way so many times that I can tell when it's done simply by looking at it. Its glistening skin is blackened and bronzed, and the meat's juices run clear. When I pick it up with the tongs, the bird surrenders a little, sagging on both sides. I don't generally use an instant-read thermometer, but until you get it down, I strongly recommend that you do; it should read 75degC at the thickest part of the thigh.

Sometimes, to be even more certain that the chicken will come out evenly cooked, I set two foiled-wrapped bricks on its splayed body. The method is typically called, plainly, chicken-under-a-brick. (In Italian, which always sounds better, it's pollo al mattone, a classic Tuscan recipe.) The bricks flatten the bird, resulting in magnificently brittle skin and succulent meat. Plus, it's cool to tell your guests, “Tonight we're having chicken under brick.” Sounds rustic and sophisticated at the same time.

The most foolproof way to grill chicken, of course, is in individual pieces. That way, the breast and thigh get the special attention they deserve. The flavour of skin-on, bone-in chicken breast halves, marinated in lemon and olive oil, is somehow timeless. I often stand at the grill and anxiously anticipate eating the white meat as its blackening skin puffs ever so slightly and rivulets of juice run down its sides.

The most traditional method of grilling chicken is the one that, for the longest time, I used the least: the sauce-slathered style known commonly as barbecue chicken. The more I cooked chicken, the more I appreciated its flavour and wanted only to add some herbs or bathe it in citrus. But over the summer, I placed chicken legs, thighs and breasts over the fire and brushed them with a tangy barbecue sauce. With parts, you can cook to order: Take the white meat off sooner than the dark to assure perfect doneness.

When I took my first bite of them, I was immediately transported back to countless childhood cookouts. There was something so simple and beautifully sloppy about the treatment. It was fun, and I had forgotten how much I loved it. I've been adding barbecue chicken to my routine ever since.

The key is to wait until the final few minutes to brush on the sauce. Otherwise, it burns.

It is that kind of detail that matters. It reminds you that a yard bird, when cooked properly, takes on the beguiling aromas of fire and smoke like few other foods including vegetables.

 

Grilled Lemon Chicken Breasts

4 servings

The tart brightness of lemon mates beautifully with the charred flavour of grilled chicken. Marinating the chicken keeps it juicy. Direct grilling crisps the skin, while cooking the chicken in indirect heat keeps the skin from burning and the meat from drying out.

MAKE AHEAD: The marinade can be assembled and refrigerated a day or two in advance. The chicken needs to marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus the juice from 3 lemons (about 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 1.8kg to 2kg in total)

Steps

Whisk together the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic, lemon zest and juice and the oil in a liquid measuring cup. Pour into a zip-top bag; add the chicken breasts and seal, pressing as much air out as possible. Massage to coat. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.

Prepare the grill for indirect heat. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal; when the coals are ready, distribute them on one side of the cooking area. For a medium fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 15cm above the coals for 6 or 7 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames.

Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade; discard the marinade. Arrange the breasts skin side down on the grill over direct heat; cook, uncovered, until the skin begins to crisp and blacken, about 5 minutes. Use long-handled tongs to move the chicken to the indirect-heat side of the grill, turning the pieces so they are skin side up. Close the lid and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the interior temperature of the meat (taken away from the bone) registers 75degC on an instant-read thermometer.

Use the tongs to move the chicken back to the direct-heat side of the grill, turning the pieces skin side down. Cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes to crisp the skin. (The added time over the heat will not affect the internal temperature because the chicken won't be there for long.)

Transfer the chicken to a platter; let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

 

Chicken Grilled Under a Brick

4 servings

One of the best ways to assure that a grilled chicken's skin is crisp and its meat is cooked through yet juicy is to spatchcock, or butterfly, the bird; see the NOTE, below.

You will need two standard masonry bricks (about 20 by 10 by 5cm each). Wrap each one in heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

3 teaspoons dried sage

1 1/2 teaspoonschilli powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

One 4-to-4 1/2-pound (1.8 to 2kg) whole chicken, butterflied (spatchcocked; see NOTE)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Steps

Prepare the grill for indirect heat. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium . If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal; when the coals are ready, distribute them on one side of the cooking area. For a medium fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 15cm above the coals for 6 to 7 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames.

Whisk together the salt, pepper, sage, chilli powder, rosemary and thyme in a small bowl. Brush the chicken with the oil, then sprinkle the herb and spice mixture liberally all over the chicken.

Place the chicken skin side down on the grill over direct heat. Place the two foil-wrapped bricks on the chicken (vertically, one on each half). Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then use long-handled tongs or a fireproof oven mitt to move the bricks to the side of the grill and turn the chicken over (skin side up). Cook the chicken uncovered and unweighted for 5 minutes.

Move the chicken to the indirect-heat side of the grill; place the bricks on top of it (again). Close the lid. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the interior temperature of the meat (taken away from the bone, in the thigh) registers 75degC on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the bricks. Move the chicken to the direct-heat side of the grill, turning it skin side down; cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board; let it rest for 5 minutes before carving and serving.

NOTE: To spatchcock the chicken, insert a heavy knife into the cavity of the bird from the back end to the neck. Press down sharply to cut through the backbone. Alternatively, place the bird breast side down on the cutting board; use poultry shears to cut along the entire length of the backbone, as close to the centre as possible. Open the bird out and flatten as much as possible.

 

 

Classic Barbecue Chicken

4 to 6 servings

There is something nostalgic about the flavour of grilled chicken slathered in barbecue sauce. The sense memory of barbecued chicken, moist and succulent and dripping with sauce, gives the dish a timeless appeal.

You'll cook over a direct fire for a few minutes, over indirect for a while, then again over direct heat. Grilling the meat over the fire crisps the skin, while cooking it indirectly keeps the skin from burning and the meat from drying out.

MAKE AHEAD: The sauce, if you are making it rather than using a commercial sauce, can be prepared up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

4 to 4 1/2 pounds (1.8 to 2kg) skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces, such as drumsticks, thighs, chicken breast halves (6 pieces total)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 cup barbecue sauce)

Steps

Prepare the grill for indirect heat. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high. If using a charcoal grill, light the charcoal; when the coals are ready, distribute them on one side of the cooking area. For a medium fire, you should be able to hold your hand about 15cm above the coals for 4 or 5 seconds. Have ready a spray water bottle for taming any flames.

Season the chicken pieces liberally with the salt and pepper. Arrange them skin side down on the direct-heat side of the grill; cook, uncovered, until the skin begins to blacken, 5 to 10 minutes. Use long-handled tongs to move the chicken to the indirect-heat side of the grill, turning the pieces over so they are skin side up. Close the lid; cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until the interior temperature of the thickest part of the meat on each piece (taken away from the bone) registers 68degC on an instant-read thermometer. (The meat will not be cooked through; move smaller pieces sooner as needed.)

Liberally coat the skin side with some of the sauce; move the pieces to the direct-heat side of the grill and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over, skin side down, coat with more sauce and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.

Turn the chicken over one more time, so the skin side is up. Slather with more sauce. Cook uncovered for 2 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees on the thermometer.

Transfer to a platter; let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the remaining sauce at the table.

Washington Post

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