Winner, Winner, It’s Time For Chicken Dinner
Grilled Citrus Chicken and Citrus Salsa! Wherever you’re from, there’s a different name for it – Bar B Que, Grilling, Cooking Out, etc. We all love to do it! I’m also looking back at every recipe I’ve made lately, and one thing they all seem to have in common, is tons of citrus. Well, this is one’s exception. I’m grilling a whole chicken, spatchcocked, and filled with bright citrus flavors, even a citrus salsa.
I could actually make this entire dinner from everything I have right here in my yard, but I will buy the chicken from the store. Sometimes when I’m cooking chicken, I wonder if my chickens have a clue about what’s going on. Can they see it on my face? I try to act like nothing is happening, but………..So anyway, other than the chicken, it’s all home-grown goodness.
Spatchcock!
That’s so fun to say, but it’s just a word for how I like to cook chicken the best. You take a whole chicken and remove the backbone, and crack the breast bone. That allows a whole chicken to lay flat and cook fairly quickly and evenly. Although, most times, I do end up removing the thighs and legs (they just come off really easily towards the end of cooking) and give them a bit of extra time. Spatchcocking works great for the BBQ, oven or even an indoor grill pan.
The marinade is super simple. Fresh chopped rosemary, minced garlic, salt, pepper, turmeric (it gives the beautiful color), lemon juice and olive oil. I make my marinade in a small bowl, then I put the marinade and the chicken into a large zip lock bag to get to know each other for about 8-10 hours. Every so often, I take the bag out and give it a little massage and return it to the refrigerator until I’m ready to cook. Remove the chicken about 1 hour before it’s going to hit the grill to come to temperature. That will help the chicken cook more evenly.
Keep It Fresh!
I love a fresh topping for BBQ Citrus Chicken. For this dish, I made a citrus salsa with fresh rosemary. Peel and remove all the pith and seeds from a few oranges. Chop into little pieces. Finely mince rosemary, salt, pepper and a bit of olive oil. I added some chopped red onion, red and green bell peppers, some chopped, fresh, flat leaf parsley and even some minced garlic. Add some dried red peppers too, if you like a little spicy heat. Let it sit in the fridge covered until you’re ready to serve.
Preheat your BBQ for about 10 minutes. I cooked this Citrus Chicken on medium low heat over direct flame.
About 40 minutes on the back side, then flipped for another 40 minutes on the other side. This was a fairly large chicken, abut 6 1/5 pounds, so adjust your cooking time based on the weight. I actually like to cook chicken on the BBQ fairly slowly, so I allow nearly the same amount of time for BBQ that I do for roasting. I give from 11-12 minutes per pound on a slow heat on the Q. Use your cooking thermometer to make sure it’s fully cooked. I take it off when the thermometer is at 160, then let it sit for about 30 minutes under foil. I also removed the thighs/legs and let them cook another 10 minutes on direct heat.
Chicken Grilled with Citrus Rosemary Salsa
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 6-7 lb whole chicken
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
For the Citrus Rosemary Salsa
- 6 oranges, peeled and chopped, pitch removed
- 1/4 cup finely chopped purple onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red and green bell pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt/pepper to taste
- optional: 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Instructions
Prepare the Marinade
- In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 lemon juice, minced rosemary, garlic, turmeric, salt and pepper, mix well, set aside.
For the Chicken
- Clean chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.
- On a poultry only cutting board, plastic, remove the backbone with kitchen shears. Carefully snip down the length of the bone on each side. Discard the bone or use it for stock. Rinse the chicken again, and dry with paper towel.
- Place the chicken into a large zip lock bag.
- Pour marinade on top and seal the bag.
- Gently massage the marinade into the chicken.
- Put the bag on a plate and into the refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
- Preheat BBQ, then on direct flame on medium low, cook one one side about 40 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for another 40 minutes.
- Check with thermometer until it reaches 160-165 on thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone.
- Remove from the grill and let sit about 20-30 minutes before carving/serving.
For the Salsa
- Peel oranges, section, then remove any pitch. Chop into small pieces and put into a medium size bowl.
- Add red onion, chopped bell peppers, parsley, finely minced rosemary, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add olive oil and red pepper flakes.
- Mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
