Grilled Spatchcock Chicken With Chermoula Sauce
This grilled spatchcock chicken is super juicy & has the crispiest skin! Served with homemade chermoula sauce, for next level flavour.
Servings: 4 People
Equipment
- Kettle BBQ
- Chimney Starter
- Blender
- Microplane/Grater
- Pestle & Mortar
- Scissors
Ingredients
- 2 kg Whole Chicken
Marinade
- 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
- 2 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- 1 Lemon (Zest & Juice)
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Coarsely Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Chermoula Sauce
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 20 g Coriander
- 20 g Parsley
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 60 g Olive Oil
To Serve
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
Marinade
- Add the cumin & coriander seeds into a small frying pan then set over a medium heat. Toast for 1 minute or so, until fragrant then transfer to a pestle & mortar.
- Crush the seeds into a coarse powder then add in the grated garlic, lemon zest & juice, salt, paprika, black pepper & olive oil. Stir to combine then set aside.
Spatchcock Chicken
- Place the chicken breast side down on a chopping board then use a pair of scissors to cut down each side of the backbone. See the video in the post above, for a visual guide on doing this! The backbone can be kept for stock.
- If necessary, turn the chicken so that the wings are closest to you then use a sharp knife to cut through the cartilage at the bottom of the breast bone*. Press down on each side of the chicken, to flatten out then flip over.*This helps the chicken sit flat.
- Place the chicken into a container/dish & cover completely with the marinade. Cover with clingfilm the leave to marinade in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
Grilling
- Fill a chimney starter up with good quality lumpwood charcoal, light with a fire starter then leave to get white hot.
- Once the charcoal is ready, tip it into a kettle bbq, so that it sits in an even layer on one side. Pop the grate & lid back on the bbq & leave to heat up for 5 minutes or so. We want the temperature bbq to sit around 200°c/400°f.
- Next, place the chicken on the cooler side of the grill, so that it is facing skin side up, with the legs pointing towards the hotter side. Add the lid back on the bbq then cook the chicken for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, carefully turn the chicken so that the breasts & wings are now facing the charcoal then continue cooking until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breasts reaches 65°c/150°f. This will take another 15 minutes or so.
- Flip the chicken over, so that it's facing skin side down & sitting directly over the charcoal. Continue cooking until the skin is crisp & the internal temperature of the meat reaches 74°c/165°f. This will take another 5-10 minutes.If the skin starts to brown too much, move the chicken back over to the cooler side of the grill. Make sure to keep the lid closed on your bbq.
- Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a large plate & leave to rest for 10 minutes, covered loosely in foil.
- In the meantime, cut a lemon in half then grill on the bbq until well charred.
Serving
- Spoon the chermoula sauce over the chicken, squeeze over the charred lemon then carve & serve.
Notes
1. Chicken - You'll need a large chicken for this recipe, which should weigh around 2kg. This will yield 4 generous portions.
2. BBQ - This recipe works best when cooked on a charcoal bbq. I used a Weber kettle grill. To cook inside, roast the chicken at 200°c/400°f, facing skin side up.
3. Chermoula Sauce - This sauce can be made up to a day in advance & should be stored in the fridge.
4. Internal Temperature - For the juiciest chicken, it should be cooked to an internal temperature of 74°c/165°f. A digital food probe comes in handy here!