Grilled Whole Chicken
The grill isn’t just for steaks…
We are in full grilling swing at our house.
1) It’s quintessential Midwest to grill as much as you can as long as our beautiful summers permit.
2) It’s hot as balls out there. I’m not firing up the oven. Nope.
3) It’s DELICIOUS.
That being said…sometimes I get sick of steaks and burgers.
(Gasp! The lady who sells beef? No!)
Yup. You gotta change it up every once in a while.
So what kind of change are we talking about?
Chicken.
And although piecing out a chicken isn’t hard, there are nights where I’m really just not interested.
So we grill a whole chicken.
It’s really not as hard as you might think. Truly. Promise.
Plus, a whole chicken has SO much meat.
So many leftovers for the freezer.
For those nights when I REALLY don’t feel like cooking a whole meal.
Indirect Heat
The critical thing to keep in mind when cooking up a whole chicken on the grill is that you want to use indirect heat.
This method will avoid grill flare-ups, burnt chicken skin, and undercooked meat inside the chicken.
Depending on what type of grill you have, your set-up will vary.
Gas Grill - Start up half of your grill and set to high heat. Leave another section turned off completely. (If you have three burners, you can start up the two outside burners and leave the center one off for more even heat distribution.)
Charcoal Grill - Start your charcoal in your preferred method. Once the coals start to ash over, move them all over to one side of your grill, creating your a direct heat zone and an indirect heat zone.
Pellet Grill - Pellet grills are awesome for indirect heat - because that’s what they do already! Just set your grill to the temp in the recipe and you’re ready to rock and roll.
Ingredients:
Chicken, whole and thawed out
Cooking Oil - butter, olive oil, etc.
Salt - to taste
Black Pepper - to taste
Directions:
Make sure that your chicken is completely thawed.
Preheat your grill. Make sure to have your direct heat and indirect heat zones set up.
While your grill is preheating, pat your chicken dry, slather the skin (and under the breast skin) with softened butter, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over the bird.
*Optional: If you have time and want to be wild, place your seasoned chicken in the fridge for 6-12 hours (longer is fine if you do overnight). This will allow the salt to create a dry brine, resulting in Ahhh-mazing flavor throughout the meat.
Once your grill reaches approximately 375°F, it’s time to start grilling.
Place your chicken on the grill, over the indirect heat section, breast-side up. (If you really want easy clean-up, place the bird on a sheet of aluminum foil to catch the juices.)
Plan to cook for about 15-20 minutes PER pound of chicken. (I.e. If your chicken is six pounds, plan on cooking for roughly 90 - 120 minutes.)
If your grill set-up has only two zones (one side direct heat and the other indirect), you’ll want to rotate the chicken clockwise halfway through your planned cook time. This will result in a more evenly cooked bird since one side of your grill will be hotter than the other.
About an hour into grill time, use an instant-read meat thermometer to start checking for meat temps. Test in the thickest part of the chicken (the thick part of the thigh) and ensure that the temperature has reached at least 165°F. If it’s not there, close up the grill and check again in 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the grill. Place off to the side and tent with aluminum foil, allowing the meat to rest for about 15 minutes. (If you used the aluminum foil method, there will be lots of juices collected on the foil. Baste your chicken with these juices before you tent it.)
Notes:
Seasonings - Our go-to chicken seasoning is pretty basic….we use butter, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs are going wild in the garden that day. (Think combos of thyme, rosemary, fennel, oregano, etc.) That being said, there are SOOOO many combos you can have fun with. Here are just a few to get you started.
Lemon Herb
Salt - 1.5 tsp
Lemon Pepper - 1 tsp
Garlic Powder - 1 tsp
Thyme, fresh - 1 tsp
Rosemary, fresh - 1 tsp
Curry
Lime Zest - 1 lime’s worth
Curry Powder - 3/4 c
Parsley leaves - 1/4 c
Salt - 2 tbsp
Pepper - 1 tbsp
Chipotle
Chipotle peppers - 1 tbsp
Chipotle sauce - 1 tbsp
Paprika - 2 tsp
Honey - 1 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Garlic, minced - 2 cloves
Lime - zest of one, juice of 1/2
Salt - 2 tsp
Pepper - 1/4 tsp