Flattening the chicken means more crispy skin, and a much quicker cooking time.
Chicken Under a Skillet
Yields: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- Chipotle-lime sauce:
- 2 jalapeño peppers, halved and seeded
- 2 red chile peppers, halved and seeded
- 2⁄3 cup ketchup
- 2⁄3 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
- Chicken:
- 1⁄4 cup butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1⁄4 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.
Where’s the “tip” to debone a chicken?
Hi Kevin! So sorry we forgot to include that, and thanks for pointing it out to us! You can now find the tip under the recipe instructions.
Sounds wonderful
Is there a recommended temp for grilling? 40 minutes total is a long time for meat pressed into a grill I suspect it’s medium to medium low? I use a gas stove. But I love the idea. Cast iron✊
Hi Rebecca,
This recipe calls for a grill temperature of 400° to 450° for 40 minutes—20 minutes on each side.