Grilled Chicken: eG Cook-Off 53

[Chris Amirault]

Did the stuffing cook? I can never do that without overcooking the bird itself....

[nakji]

A whole stuffed chicken! I've never thought of grilling a full chicken like that before, although I've heard of doing turkeys in that style. Do all the juices just drip onto the coals, or do you try to save them somehow?

I had a holiday in Malaysia in February this year, and I'll be heading back in three weeks for some more roti canai and satay love. Everywhere we ate we had something we loved, so as soon as I got back from my trip, I ordered "Cradle of Flavor" and had it sent to my parents' house in Canada for some holiday cooking with my Dad, who spent a couple of years of his childhood stationed with his family in Singapore. Especially delicious were the grilled chicken satay we had in Kuala Lumpur. I wanted originally to take a stab at the satay recipes for this cook-off, but the only chicken around the house was a Costco-pack of chicken wings. Since I didn't want to go and buy more chicken when we had two kilos of wings sitting around anyway: Grilled Coconut Chicken with Lemon Basil.

This recipe has you cooking your chicken in a curry paste-and-coconut milk based sauce, then grilling them off after the chicken has mostly cooked through. Since I used chicken wings rather than a whole cut-up chicken as called for, it actually turned out to be a pretty quick dish to put together - after I'd done all the prep for the curry paste, of course. And as I said before, the skin-to-meat ratio was succulent.

Paste:

Made with fresh turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, and more.

Initial cooking on the range, in the curry sauce: The curry sauce had lemon basil, coconut milk, and kaffir lime leaves.

Onto the grill:

Turned:

Thoughts: These cooked rather quickly on a gas grill, and were tender and juicy, which is what I'm looking for in a grilled chicken. The flavour penetrated, and there was significant finger-licking involved in the eating. I served the extra curry sauce, reduced, on the side for mixing in with rice.

I cooked these on a gas grill, so it was irrelevant this time, but in Malaysia, whenever I saw chicken (or anything) being grilled, the grill master furiously fanned the coals once the meat hit the grill. I asked why over here. But through both the satay and the coconut chicken recipes, author Oseland says nothing about fanning your coals. I haven't read through the book carefully, but I can only conclude he considers it an unimportant step for cooking chicken on a western grill. Does anyone fan their coals when they use their grill?

[Chris Amirault]

No fanning, but I have been known to blow. Hard, even.

[ChefCrash]

We grilled chicken two ways. One was seasoned with lots of salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper and marinated in equal parts vinegar and water for an hour (our traditional go-to recipe).

The other was seasoned with salt only.

Both we grilled entirely over indirect heat. The marinated chicken was drizzled often with the marinade.

For the other one I made the "Jade Red" glaze as done at Chino Bandido's and can be seen made in this segment of Tripple D, (forward to t=2:12).

The glaze (as I gathered from the video):

Simmer together:

1 tsp sesame oil

2 T chili oil

1 clove garlic clove minced

1/4 c catsup

2 T powdered sugar

Green onions

The Jade red glaze is fantastic.

I have tried the mustard apricot glaze ( mentioned earlier in the thread) on a chicken which had been seasoned with Cajun seasoning. It was not to my liking (very bland). The glaze was two parts apricot preserves to one part Dijon mustard. If anyone has a better recipe please chime in.

[bmdaniel]

I did grilled/smoked chicken halves in the Weber tonight - unfortunately no pictures, but brined the whole chicken for about 2.5 hours in 7% brine, then dried and rubbed (sweet and smoked paprika, garlic powder, homemade garam masala, ancho chili powder, dried oregano, sumac, and a little more salt). Cooked indirect at about 420 on the grill with apple/chicken smoke, then finished over the coals.

Skin could've been crispier; I waited till about 165 on the thighs to put them over the coals and probably should've moved them sooner. Chicken was very juicy though with nice smoke flavor and the rub was nice (the garam masala made it smell a little christmasy, but flavor was good). How long are people doing the skin direct in this kind of preparation? The thighs crisped up pretty nicely, so I'm a little concerned that the skin there would've been over if I had given it much more time.

Served it with a wilted spinach salad with bacon dressing - I never have great luck with trying to make the dressing in the pan, and end up with a pretty sad emulsion. I think next time I'll deglaze with the vinegar, then move to a bowl and hit with the immersion.

[kayb]

Did the stuffing cook? I can never do that without overcooking the bird itself....

It did. I usually do this in the oven, and the stuffing always cooks. I think the key is a lower heat, longer time. And the stuffing keeps the chicken from drying out.

[kayb]

A whole stuffed chicken! I've never thought of grilling a full chicken like that before, although I've heard of doing turkeys in that style. Do all the juices just drip onto the coals, or do you try to save them somehow?

Actually, I'd never thought of it, but I suppose you could put a pan on the grate where the coals general stay to catch the juices, since there are no coals directly beneath the bird, but on either side.

Quite honestly, I can't see a lot of advantage to cooking this kind of bird like this as opposed to in the oven, but it was hot, and I didn't want to heat the house up. You don't get a great deal of smoky taste, as you would on a traditional smoker, because the time isn't long enough. My grill is just a homemade one, a barrel cut in half and hinged, grate in the bottom to hold the coals, grate on the top of the bottom half to hold the meat.

[robirdstx]

On Saturday, I bought a package of ten chicken thighs and made up a batch of my fajita marinade (olive oil, lemon juice, smoked paprika, chopped fresh garlic and jalapeno). After dividing the thighs into two batches in ziploc bags, I added the marinade.

One bag went into to refrigerator and the other went into the freezer for next time. I had intended to grill the thighs on Sunday but we will be having them tonight instead. 48 hours in the marinade should make for lots of flavor.

[Alcuin]

Brined two 3.5lb chickens, then smoke roasted them. One was glazed with habanero apricot and another was rubbed. Took them out just in time and they are incredibly juicy and smoky. Too bad I didn't get pictures, but I will be eating them all week. Tonight, jicama cucumber salad with smoked chicken, advocado and supremes of orange and lemon (2:1) with plenteous cilantro. Tomorrow, maybe quesadillas.

[robirdstx]

Grilled Chicken Thighs - the 48 hour rest in the marinade made for wonderful flavor in the skin, the juices, and the meat. Will definitely do it this way again! Oh, and no crosshatching as I turned the grates over and used the side that makes more contact with the meat for a more even crisping of the skin.

We had them with steamed red potatoes with fresh thyme (from my garden).

[Chris Amirault]

That seems like a really long time to marinate in an acidic marinade; I'd be worried the meat would get too mushy. How was the texture?

[robirdstx]

Chris, the texture was great. I had a couple leftover which I shredded and used in a chili for dinner last night. (I took a photo but it was too blurry.) My marinade has equal parts olive oil and lemon juice.

[Chris Amirault]

Ah, the glory of chicken thighs!

[Prawncrackers]

Hmmm, grilled chicken never fails to satisfy. There is a Jerk cook-off somewhere but this grilled chicken thread has motivated me to get the coals on yesterday. Now usually I would make jerk marinade with Scotch Bonnet chillies but I was given a Naga chilli so i used that instead, my recipe this time for one chicken was:

1 Naga Chilli

1 Lime, juice and zest

5 strips of thyme leaves

2 Fat Scallions - whites only

1 Fat Clove Garlic, same of ginger

1 Tbl Molasses Sugar

1 Tsp Allspice

Salt and a splash of Coconut rum

Blended together and let the chicken sit in it for 24hrs. My grilling set up is pretty standard indirect heat over a pan full of water. Pimento wood is uncommon around here but I did have some mesquite handy so used a couple of chunks for smoking. It was cooked for exactly one hour covered then finished over the coals carefully to give it the sizzled flavour. Served with coconut rice & peas and fennel slaw:

[snowangel]

I always use thighs or legs (if using legs, cut the skin and tendons all the way around just above where the foot was attached). If marinating, I make sure and make a mess of slits in the meat with a paring knife. Just last night, I did a batch, using Goya's Mojo Crillo for a marinade. A bottle of this on hand sure makes things easy; I keep one at the cabin so I don't have to worry about forgotten citrus.

They were yummy right off the grill, at 10:30 pm straight out of the fridge, and made for an exceptionally tasty lunch.

[nickrey]

Ok, I promised a photo.

Here is a shot of tonight's dinner.

Marinated spatchcocked poussin with heirloom tomato salad.

Chris, tasting it, I'd have to say that the marinade penetrated the flesh as well as providing a very good skin sear.

Edited July 30, 2010 by nickrey (log)

[Chris Amirault]

One very convenient way to have grilled chicken ready to go whenever you want it is to spatchcock the chicken, salt/herb/spice/chili/citrus it however you like, bag it with a touch of your favorite fat, cook sous vide to around 62C, then chill it down and toss it in the freezer. The flatness of the spatchcocked chicken means that it stacks nicely in multiples. Then, when you want to grill, all you have to do is toss the bag in a sinkfull of warm water while the grill preheats, unbag the chicken and slap it on the grill long enough to crisp the skin. The flavor penetration from the seasoning is great, and you don't have to be so concerned about overcooking the breasts/undercooking the legs.

I took the sous vide approach with some chicken thighs using some chile powder, smoked salt, cumin, cilantro, lime, that sort of thing, slathering in a bit of chicken fat. Got them going, prepared the sides, fired up the grill, and by that time the thighs were perfectly cooked. Dried 'em off and finished them on the grill. They were fantastic; eager to do the same with some whole chickens soon.

[smilingal]

Skinless boneless chicken breasts are not my favorite for grilling, but easy to feed a large crowd - along with the hamburgers and franks. Last week I marinated them overnight in (sheepish apologies in advance) Lawry's Sesame ginger and although I oiled the grill they stuck miserably and of course no cross-hatching. I am also wondering, as I am making them this weekend again about butterflying them and cutting into pieces.

[rooftop1000]

Get the grill hotter...and thats probabley too long in the marinade, it can make them mushy

I also like boneless thighs for grilling (more forgiving of a moment of overcooking)

tracey

[ScottyBoy]

When you oil the grill do it at least 3 times. Let the oil burn off, wipe, burn, wipe. The only way I've been able to cross hatch fish too.

[Porthos]

I also use the Lawry's Sesame Ginger. I have problems with sticking but I always figured it was the sugars in the marinade that was causing it.

[Rick Mogstad]

I have found that with marinades with a lot of sugar, its best to rinse it off a bit after marinating, and brush the breast with olive oil before grilling, then baste with (fresh) marinade at the end. Also, if I let the chicken sit out a bit before grilling I get a ton less sticking. I grill them around 350°F until they are cooked through, and they come out juicy and flavorful (and with nice grill marks, though I use porcelain-enameled cast iron grates, which don't cool down too much when the chicken is dropped on).

Lately I have been doing nothing but brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and letting rest for 15 mins or so before throwing them on, and they come out great.

I am no expert, by any means, so take it with a grain of salt

-Rick

Edited August 5, 2010 by Rick Mogstad (log)

[Paul Kierstead]

I pound them out a bit to make them more consistent in thickness, oil a little, possibly toss with some dry rub (which will paste up a bit with the oil), s&p, sit while the bbq heats, then about 2-4 minutes per side depending on which grill I do it on. It is so easy even my wife has managed it on her own, and that is saying something.

[Lilija]

A simple salt water brine is my go-to answer. It's not much harder than a bottled marinade, and it makes for pretty foolproof grilled chicken breasts every time. That, combined with some pounding for evenness, and if you're feeling all fancy, some sort of dry seasoning after you take them out of the brine, and they go from "meh" to something I even look forward to.

My standard is a garlic and black pepper brine, for about 2 to 4 hours, then they're pounded some, coated in a little oil, and graced with more garlic and black pepper, plus cayenne, and maybe some onion powder or something. Super basic. It's how I make all my salad chicken breasts.

I think the sugary marinade might be tripping you up, here, along with a cool grill. Maybe try using the marinade as a baste, while they're on the grill, or something?

[heidih]

I have never grilled chicken thighs without pre-cooking. Inspired by this topic as well as guy on the corner who, based on smell, grills chicken several times a week as I walk the dog (hidden behind a fence like the guy on Home Improvement) I had to try. I made a spice paste/marinade with masses of herbs, ginger, onion, garlic, coconut milk and a bit more. The meat came out very tender and flavorful. I used snowangel's suggestion to piece the flesh. I seared on the direct heat on the Weber on both sides and then moved away from direct heat to do the main cooking. My personal problem was walking away during the initial sear and I got it a bit too dark. Overall though I am pleased. The extra marinade was cooked to take care of evil chicken germs and will be used with the leftovers- over rice I think.