Description
This BBQ Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken is tender, tasty, and a great way to put that grill to use. Perfect for a dinner or cookout, this whole chicken recipe is easy to make and is a great grilling recipe.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 whole chicken
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 cups Fireball Whisky Barbecue Sauce (or bbq sauce of your choosing)
Instructions
- The night before, generously coat your whole chicken with ¼ to ½ cup of salt, place in-tray, loosely cover, and store in the refrigerator for eight hours.
- The next day, spatchcock the chicken by cutting the spine out with kitchen shears.
- In the middle of the inner breast, use a sturdy knife to cut the breast bone right in the middle so that the chicken can be flattened.
- Flip chicken over so breasts are up and push down legs and flatten the chicken.
- Tuck wings under bird.
- Coat with ½ of the Fireball Spicy BBQ sauce (or barbeque sauce of your choice)
- Heat grill to 375° Fahrenheit and allow for an area of indirect heat. If charcoal (preferred) put coals on one side or use charcoal baskets on one side. If a three-burner gas grill, heat two outside grills.
- Put chicken on grill over indirect heat with the breasts up and closest to the source of heat.
- Cover
- Use a meat thermometer and cook until the thickest breast is 165° Fahrenheit (approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes). Use a thermometer to make sure thigh meat and the breast meat is 165° Fahrenheit. Remove immediately. If you are daring enough, remove at 160° Fahrenheit and make sure the final temp before eating is 165° Fahrenheit
- Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes, carve, and serve with remaining BBQ Sauce.
Notes
- Calories are estimated based on a 4 lb chicken and 2 cups of bbq sauce.
- Serving size is largely determinant on the appetite of your people and size of your chicken.
- While I recommend the dry brine, it is a step that could be skipped.
- Reserve the chicken spine for Homemade Chicken Stock
- Make sure to follow food safety and avoid cross-contamination.