Flattening the chicken means more crispy skin, and a much quicker cooking time.
Chicken Under a Skillet
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- Chipotle-lime sauce:
- 2 jalapeño peppers, halved and seeded
- 2 red chile peppers, halved and seeded
- ⅔ cup ketchup
- ⅔ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle powder
- Chicken:
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken, giblets and backbone removed (see tip)
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat (400° to 450°).
- For chipotle-lime sauce: Grill peppers, cut sides up, covered, until blackened, 3 to 4 minutes. Place peppers in a resealable plastic bag. Seal bag; let stand 15 minutes. Peel and discard skin from peppers. In the container of a blender, combine peppers, ketchup, orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, and chipotle powder. Blend until smooth; set aside.
- For chicken: Preheat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on grill 15 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together butter, cilantro, zest, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Rub mixture under skin and on outside of chicken. Place chicken skin side down in skillet. Place a second skillet or a foil-wrapped brick over chicken.
- Grill, covered, 20 minutes. Remove top skillet; carefully turn chicken. Place skillet over chicken, and grill, covered, until a meat thermometer reads 165°, approximately 20 minutes more. Carefully remove skillet from grill. Serve with chipotle-lime sauce.
Notes
Tip: To remove backbone from chicken, cut along both sides with kitchen shears.