Butterflied Grilled Chicken

Grilling the chicken when butterflied out gives it a nice grilled flavor throughout and speeds up the cooking process.

Cutting the chicken this way may look intimidating, but as long as you have a set of sharp kitchen scissors, anyone could cut it.



Ingredients

• 4-5 Pound Whole Chicken
• 1/2 Stick of Butter (Salted)
• Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
• Pinch of Ground Thyme
• Pinch of Ground Cumin
• Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
• Garlic Salt to Taste
• Seasoned Salt to Taste
• 2 Cloves of Garlic Chopped

Prepping the chicken can be done right before cooking or ahead of time. Take the chicken out of packaging and remove any giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry. 

Turn the chicken so the breast is facing down. Using your kitchen scissors, cut along one side of the backbone as shown in the pictures below. 

Now cut on the other side of the backbone until the backbone is removed. If you make your own chicken stock, you can freeze the back bone for use later. 

Using a sharp knife, make a small cut on the back side of the breast bone. You are not trying to cut through, just making a mark so that the bone breaks easier when you turn it over. 

Turn the chicken over and use both hands to open up the chicken so it lays flat. 

The leg/thigh can be turned a shown below. 

Combine two tablespoons butter with thyme, cumin, nutmeg, half of the chopped garlic, a pinch of garlic salt and pinch of seasoned salt. Using your hands, work the butter up under the skin.

Take the remaining butter and rub on the top and bottom of chicken.

Drizzle olive oil on the chicken and rub on with the butter.  

Season with garlic salt and seasoned salt. I like a lot of salt, so I season liberally.

Place chicken in the fridge until ready to cook. 

Now it is time to prep the grill. I cook this chicken with all the charcoal on 1/3 of the grill for indirect cooking. 

Light your charcoal using your chimney starter.

  

Once the charcoal is turning white on the top, dump the charcoal on one third of the grill.

Place the grate on and oil the grate so the chicken doesn't stick. I use half an onion dipped in oil. I find that this oils the grate well and adds a nice smell. Just be careful not to burn yourself. 

I place a little bit of wood on top of the charcoal to give some smoke. 

Let the grill warm up. Place the handle of the Weber into the wind. When you put the lid on, put the vent the opposite side from the handle. Since we placed the charcoal on the handle side, this placement of the grill will help the draft carry over the chicken. 

Place the chicken on the two thirds of the grate without charcoal under it with the legs facing the charcoal. 

Have the bottom vents open and the top half open. 

Place lid on. Cook for 30 minutes. 

Open grill and turn the chicken 180 degrees to have the breasts facing the charcoal. Baste with remaining butter melted and garlic. Replace lid and cook 30 minutes. 

Open the grill and turn the chicken 180 degrees so the legs are facing the charcoal. Replace the lid and cook until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees. 

Remove from grill and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. 

Carve and serve. 

Ingredients

• 4-5 Pound Whole Chicken
• 1/2 Stick of Butter (Salted)
• Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
• Pinch of Ground Thyme
• Pinch of Ground Cumin
• Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
• Garlic Salt to Taste
• Seasoned Salt to Taste
• 2 Cloves of Garlic Chopped

Directions

1. Prepping the chicken can be done right before cooking or ahead of time. Take the chicken out of packaging and remove any giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry. 
2. Turn the chicken so the breast is facing down. Using your kitchen scissors cut along one side of the backbone as shown in picture below. 
3. Now cut on the other side of the backbone until the backbone is removed. If you make your own chicken stock, you can freeze the back bone for use later. 
4. Using a sharp knife, make a small cut on the back side of the breast bone. You are not trying to cut through, just making a mark so that the bone breaks easier when you turn it over. 
5. Turn the chicken over and use both hands to open up the chicken so it lays flat. 
6. The leg/thigh can be turned out.
7. Combine two tablespoons butter with thyme, cumin, nutmeg, half of the chopped garlic, pinch of garlic salt and pinch of seasoned salt. Using your hands, work the butter up under the skin. 
8. Take the remaining butter and rub on the top and bottom of chicken.
9. Drizzle olive oil on the chicken and rub on with the butter.  
10. Season with garlic salt and seasoned salt. I like a lot of salt, so I season liberally.
11. Place chicken in the fridge until you are ready to cook. 
12. Now it is time to prep the grill. I cook this chicken with all the charcoal on 1/3 of the grill for indirect cooking. 
13. Light your charcoal using your chimney starter.  
14. Once charcoal is turning white on the top, dump the charcoal on one third of the grill. I place it on the third toward the handle. 
15. Place the grate on and oil the grate so the chicken doesn't stick. I use half an onion dipped in oil. I find that this oils the grate well and ads a nice smell. Just be careful not to burn yourself. 
16. I place a little bit of wood on top of the charcoal to give some smoke. 
17. Let the grill warm up. 
18. Place the chicken on the two thirds of the grate without charcoal under it with the legs facing the charcoal. 
19. Have the bottom vents open and the top half open. 
20. Place lid on. Cook for 30 minutes. 
21. Open grill and turn the chicken 180 degrees to have the breasts facing the charcoal. Baste with remain butter melted and garlic. Replace lid and cook 30 minutes. 
22. Open grill and turn chicken 180 degrees so the legs are facing the charcoal again. Replace the lid and cook until internal temp reaches 165 degrees. 
23. Remove from grill and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. 
24. Carve and serve.