WHY THIS ROASTED CHICKEN RECIPE RECIPE WORKS
Grilling the chicken over indirect heat for the majority of the cooking time allowed it to cook gently and evenly throughout. To ensure that it picked up distinct grill flavour, we moved the chicken over direct heat for the last few minutes of cooking and added a wood chip packet to the fire, which subtly infused the meat with smoke. Draining the bird's cavity midway through cooking prevented the fatty juices from dripping onto the fire and causing flare-ups. With no salt treatments or knife work, the chicken was ready for the grill in no time.
FOR THIS RECIPE YOU CAN USE THE BEER CAN CHICKEN HOLDER
GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (3½- to 4½-pound) whole chicken, giblets discarded
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ - ¼ cup wood chips
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
We developed this roasted chicken recipe on a three-burner gas grill with burners that run from front to back. In this recipe, we refer to the two outside burners as the primary burners and the centre burner as the secondary burner. If you're using a two-burner grill, use the side with the wood chips as the primary burner and the other side as the secondary burner. Adjust the primary burner to maintain grill temperature between 375 and 400 degrees. Place the chicken 6 inches from the primary burner and rotate it after 25 minutes of cooking in step 4 so that it cooks evenly.
INSTRUCTIONS
For this roasted chicken recipe, combine salt and pepper in a bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then rub the entire surface of the chicken with oil. Sprinkle salt mixture all over the chicken and rub in the mix with your hands to evenly coat. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wingtips behind the back.
Using a large piece of heavy-duty aluminium foil, wrap chips (¼ cup if using charcoal; ½ cup if using gas) in 8 by 4½-inch foil packet. (Make sure chips do not poke holes in sides or bottom of the packet.) Cut two evenly spaced 2-inch slits on top of the packet.
For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into two banked piles on either side of the grill. Place a wood chip packet on one pile of coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes. (Grill temperature will reach about 400 degrees and will fall to about 350 degrees by the end of cooking.)
For a gas grill: Remove cooking grate and place the wood chip packet directly on one primary burner. Set grate in place, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burners (two outside burners) to medium-high and turn off the secondary (centre) burner. (Adjust prime burners as needed to maintain grill temperature between 400 and 425 degrees.)
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken, breast side up with cavity facing toward you, in centre of the grill, making sure chicken is centred between hotter sides of the grill. Cover (position lid vent over chicken if using charcoal) and cook until breast registers 130 degrees, 45 to 55 minutes.
For grilling the chicken Use long grill tongs, reach into cavity and carefully lift chicken by breast. Holding chicken over bowl or container, tilt chicken toward you to allow fat and juices to drain from the cavity. Transfer chicken, breast side up, to hotter side of the grill (without wood chip packet) and cook, covered, until back is deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken breast-side down; cover and continue to cook over hotter side of grill until the breast is deep golden brown, about 5 minutes longer. Using tongs, flip chicken breast side up and return it to the centre of the grill; take the internal temperature of the breast. During grilling the chicken If breast registers 155 degrees, transfer chicken to a carving board. If the chicken breast was less than 155 degrees, cover and continue to cook in the centre of the grill. Check temperature every 2 minutes, until it registers 155 degrees, 2 to 10 minutes longer. Let chicken rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Carve chicken and serve.
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