After last week’s mango-themed menu, I feel like my summer menu is back on track. And this week it will stay on track! I found this recipe for Lemon and Oregano Grilled Chicken, and it pretty much begged me to make it. What’s better for summertime grilling than marinated chicken? But my need to try something new wouldn’t shut up, so I’m trying a grilled spatchcocked chicken. Spatchcocking is just removing the backbone and pressing the chicken flat so it cooks faster. I’ve done it in the oven many times, but this will be the first time I’ve ever tried grilling. I’m hoping it’s not too difficult to transfer from the pan to the grill and flip. Let’s find out if it is!
This lemon chicken recipe will bring a zing to meal time!
The Ingredients
Obviously, every recipe starts with gathering or buying the ingredients, and this grilled chicken didn’t have too many. I had the oil, vinegar, and dried spices on hand, so that left the fresh herbs and chicken to shop for. My local grocery store had them all in stock, and they weren’t expensive at all. I got everything needed in one trip for about $15.
The Process
Once I had all my ingredients, it was time to get cooking. I followed the instructions in the order given, and that meant starting with spatchcocking the chicken. (I’ve been known to rearrange the steps if I think it will make things go quicker, but not this time.) A good set of kitchen shears is a requirement for this step.
The instructions give a good description of how it’s done, but not everyone learns the same way. If you’re more visual this video shows how it’s done. It also includes a trick to make flipping the spatchcocked chicken easier by using metal skewers.
Making the marinade was a simple as it sounds, but I had trouble getting the chicken into a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Instead, I opted for a rectangular baking dish with a lid and let the chicken marinate overnight in that.
It was time to grill the next day, and I couldn’t wait to get started! Things went pretty smoothly, but there were lots of flare-ups caused by the dripping oil-based marinade. After the first five minutes, I realized what was happening, turned off a burner, and moved the chicken to indirect heat for the rest of grilling. The skin was charred, but the problem was fixed.
The entire process took slightly longer than listed. The prep work was right on time, but waiting for the meat thermometer to get to 160 degrees took a little longer than the 35 minutes listed. Here is how my time broke down:
- 15 minutes for prep work
- 44 minutes to grill
- 59 minutes total
