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Barbecue Secrets


Recipe of the Week: Mediterranean Roast Chicken on the Grill

Jun 7, 2013

Makes 4 servings

This is a great way to roast chicken using indirect heat. If you’re using a gas grill, you can throw a chunk of hardwood over the burners to add some great barbecue flavour. Serve the chicken with your favorite roasted vegetables and Dilled Lemony Rice (see recipe below).

1 5-lb. | 2.2 kg chicken

kosher salt to taste

1 Tbsp | 15 mL Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp | 25 mL Mediterranean Dried Herb Rub (see recipe below)

1 Tbsp | 15 mL coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp | 5 mL freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp | 5 mL granulated garlic

1 tsp | 5 mL granulated onion

1/2 tsp | 2 mL cayenne

1/2 cup | 125 mL extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp | 5 mL lemon juice

Prepare your grill for indirect medium heat, with a drip pan underneath the unheated portion of the grill to catch the drippings. (Alternative method: prepare the grill for rotisserie cooking, with a drip pan underneath the roast.) Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Generously season it with salt and coat it with mustard. Combine the herbed rub, rosemary, pepper, garlic, onion, and cayenne in a small bowl. Coat the chicken with the mixture, patting it on with your hands to ensure it sticks. Drizzle the rubbed chicken with 1 Tbsp | 15 mL of the olive oil. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the unheated side of the cooking grate.

            In a small bowl, combine the rest of the oil with the lemon juice.

            Cook the chicken, using a small amount of fruitwood like apple or cherry as a flavoring agent, for about an hour, basting it every 20 minutes or so with the oil/lemon juice mixture, until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 160˚F | 71˚C. Remove it from the grill, tent it with foil, and let it rest for 10–15 minutes. Carve it and serve it.

Mediterranean Dried Herb Rub

Makes enough to coat several racks of lamb, a couple of chickens, or a whole leg of lamb or pork roast

Use this rub for meats like chicken and pork, but it also works well with grilled vegetables. Just toss the veggies with oil and sprinkle them with the rub and some kosher salt.

1 Tbsp | 15 mL dried (not powdered) oregano

1 Tbsp | 15 mL dried mint

1 Tbsp | 15 mL dried basil

1 Tbsp | 15 mL dried rosemary

1 tsp | 5 mL dried parsley

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together well.

 

 

Dilled Lemony Rice

 

Makes 8 servings

This sticky, fragrant rice is a great accompaniment to just about anything.

2 Tbsp | 25 mL butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

4 cups | 1 L homemade or canned low-salt chicken stock

2 cups | 500 mL short-grain rice (sushi rice or Arborio rice would work well)

zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped

1/4 cup | 50 mL chopped fresh baby dill

1/2 tsp | 2 mL kosher salt

1/4 tsp | 1 mL black or white pepper

2 Tbsp | 25 mL lemon juice

fresh dill fronds and lemon wedges, for garnish

Heat half the butter in a sauté pan over low-medium heat. Add the shallot and cook it until it’s soft, stirring it frequently, about 2 minutes. Set it aside. Bring the stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the rice and return the stock to a boil. Just as the stock begins to boil, reduce the heat to low. Add the sautéed shallot, lemon zest, dill, salt, and pepper and the remaining butter. Gently stir the rice to evenly distribute all the ingredients. Cover the saucepan and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice, gently fluff the rice with a fork, transfer it to a serving bowl, garnish it with dill and lemon, and serve.