Grilling season is upon us and I couldn’t be happier. Food always looks better with stripes-I want grill marks on everything. If you’re stuck in a rut of hot dogs and hamburgers (a rut I have lived in for years), try this: Grill a whole chicken. It’s a fun way to serve dinner to the whole family and a lovely presentation for a small dinner party.
This recipe is sponsored by Thai Kitchen and I used one of their new sauces to glaze my chicken as it was grilling. Their products are wonderful, no artificial ingredients, no fake fake colors. The new sauces are vegan and gluten free and I’m happy to have them in my kitchen.
Click here for the perfect side dish-Grilled Potato Salad. Yes you read correctly. Grilled.
Free of Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Egg, Nuts and Tree Nuts.
- 3 inches Ginger
- 1 bunch Scallions
- 1 Chicken (weight isn’t important, get something that will serve your family)
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Thai Kitchen Spicy Thai Mango Sauce
Get Busy
- Prepare the ginger and scallions to stuff under the skin of the chicken. With a small spoon, gently scrape the papery skin off the ginger. This doesn’t take much pressure and shouldn’t cut away too much of the fleshy root. When you’ve peeled the ginger, mince it and set it aside. Mince the scallions and mix them with the minced ginger in a small bowl.
- It’s chicken time. To grill a whole chicken you have to make it flat (otherwise it’s like trying to grill a football). Place the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board and, using a very sharp knife or a pair of kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it entirely. Do not throw away the bone! You can save it in the freezer to make stock (I always stockpile my bones for this) or you can throw the backbone on the grill. Trust me when I tell you this-the tail(attached to the spine) is the tastiest part of a chicken and you’d be foolish to toss it in the garbage. Once you’ve removed the spine, flip the chicken breast-side up and press down with great strength to break the breastbone and force the chicken to lay flat.
- Slip your hand under the skin and loosen it all over the bird. Grab a handful of the ginger/scallion mixture and stuff it under the skin. Continue stuffing the ginger/scallion mixture until it is well distributed around the chicken.
- Brush some olive oil on the skin of the chicken. This will help prevent it from sticking to your grill. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the skin, don’t skimp. Seriously.
- Preheat your grill. Shut the lid and crank everything to high, you want the internal temperature to be around 400 degrees. When it’s ready, open the lid and drop the heat to medium. Bunch up a paper towel and soak it in some oil. Grab the paper towel with your tongs and brush the oil all over your grill. Slam the chicken skin-side down to get some grill marks. Cook it for 5-10 minutes, until it has some wonderful color. Flip the bird skin-side up and start glazing. Brush a coat of Thai Kitchen’s new sauce on the chicken and close the lid of your grill. Grill it for 20-30 minutes, checking every 5 minutes. Each time you check the chicken you can brush on another coat of sauce, slowly building up the layers of flavor. You’ll know the chicken is ready when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees.
- Pull the chicken off the grill and enjoy. Don’t forget the backbone!