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
  1. Preheat grill to high heat (400° 
to 450°).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/chicken-under-a-skillet/