This is definitely one of those recipes that was inspired by sheer greed/laziness. I wanted some crispy skinned chicken, but I also didn’t wanna have to deal with cleaning up a grease splattered stove top. So why not go outside and make a grill roast chicken? Total win as far as I’m concerned.
To make sure the skin actually turned out super crispy I started this bird is a cold pan. This is nothing new and I’m sure you’ve seen this method around, it really does work. This can also certainly be done on a stove top or in an over in you’re not into the grilling thing. Just be prepared to clean up some spatter. The whole recipe relies on the fact that you’re rendering the fat out of the chicken slowly so it ends up kinda frying in its own schmaltz. There is guaranteed to be splatter.
I added in chic peas here, mainly cause I always want to eat chic peas, but you can add in some small cubed potatoes, bread cubes or even some shallots to get nice and caramelized while the chicken cooks. Just make sure to add whatever in early enough so it can cook all the way through by the time the bird is done. Whatever you add in is gonna be delish since like the bird, you’re pretty much frying it in chicken fat.
The whole recipe relies on the fact that your’e rendering the fat out of the chicken slowly so it ends up kinda frying in its own schmaltz. There is guaranteed to be splatter.
This can definitely be done with a quartered bird, just breasts or just thighs, the later being my favorite option. Just make sure whatever cut of chicken you’re using has the skin on. You can probably get away with a boneless cut, I wouldn’t suggest it, but it has to have the skin.
Grill Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken butterflied
- 2 cans chic peas rinsed and drained well
- fresh herbs chives, parsley, basil
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
- If you haven’t bought a butterflied bird, now would be the time to split and flatten that bird out. Take a pair of kitchen shears and cut along each side of the spine to remove it. Then score the membrane along the inner part of the breastbone, gently press the carcass open, like a book, and pull out the spear of cartilage you’ll see in there. You don’t need it and it’ll just get in the way later on.
- Once your bird is flat, coat each side generously with salt, lay it skin side down in a cast iron pan and then set on a just lit grill. You want everything to come up to temperature as the grill heats, it’ll render the fat from the chicken as well as getting that skin super crisp. You want to aim for about 375°F (190°C) on your grill. This bird took about 90 minutes total to cook, but check to see if you can flip it at about 45 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready to flip when it releases from the pan. I tried a few times and the skin was still sticking. Just wait another 5-10 mins and then check again, I’ll release eventually.
- Once It’s been flipped let it cook for another 30 minutes and add in your chick peas, being sure to get them coated in the rendered chicken fat. Cook for another 15 minutes or so. Once the chicken is fully cooked, I checked mine by the temp (I suggest you do the same, 165°F / 74°C in the thickest part of the thigh) and the chic peas are browned and caramelized, you’re done.
- Take your bird off the heat and let sit at room temp for at least 10 minutes to rest. Carve it up into quarters, slice the breast, whatever you want to do. Top with the sliced scallions, a squeeze of lemon, plenty of fresh herbs, olive oil and some coarse salt. That’s it. Eat up!
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2 thoughts on Grill Roast Chicken
what if you dont have a grill can you do this in the oven?
Yeah, for sure! I occasionally do this in our oven when it’s just too cold, or annoying, to use the grill. Our oven is a bit more efficient so it doesn’t take quite as long to cook. I take the temp to check when it’s done and still flip when I think it’s about halfway through. It’s also nice to blast it under the broiler for a few minutes right at the end if you want to make sure it’s super crisp and those chic peas are extra crunchy.