Whole Chicken, Halved, And Grilled

By á-170456

Ingredients

• SPICE RUB:
• 1 whole chicken - (abt 4 lbs) cut in half
• Olive oil as needed (or vegetable or canola oil)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tspn dried thyme, crumbled)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tspn dried rosemary, crumbled)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano (or 1/2 tspn dried oregano, crumbled)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Rub each chicken half with a small amount of oil, then rub in the spice rub (or other spices of choice). If possible, refrigerate at least 30 minutes for spices to penetrate. But you can also proceed with grilling immediately and it will still taste good.

Heat one-half of the grill to medium, leaving the other half unheated. Just before grilling, lightly coat the chicken skin with nonstick spray or brush the grill with oil. Grill, skin-side down, directly over medium heat, until grill marks form and the skin starts to turn color (watch that the skin doesn't burn).

Turn the halves over and move them to an area away from the heat source, so they can cook indirectly. (If you have a two-tier grill, move them to the upper rack, above an area without direct heat.) Cover the grill.

Every 15 minutes or so, reposition the halves so they cook evenly. Cook covered until done, about 40 minutes for a 3 to 4 pound bird, then test for doneness. Chicken is done when it reaches 170 degrees in the thigh, as measured by a meat thermometer.

This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.

For Best Results: Grill the chicken halves skin-side down on medium heat, until light and golden. Then flip them over and cook over indirect heat, covered, until cooked through (at this point it's like roasting them in the oven). The skin will continue to brown from the indirect heat. Rotate the halves in relation to the heat source so the meat cooks evenly.