Description
Grilled Butterflied Chicken with Garlic Butter recipe - tender meat, crispy skin, and a butter baste on the grill.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4-pound chicken
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground peppercorn mix (or black pepper)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
Instructions
- Butterfly, salt, and pepper the chicken: Butterfly the chicken: remove the backbone with poultry shears by cutting up one side of the backbone, then down the other side of the backbone. Flip the chicken skin side up, and flatten the breastbone by pressing down hard with the back of your hand. Fold the wing tips back under the wing to lock them in place. Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper, and refrigerate for 8 hours to 24 hours. (If you don't have time to salt early, salt the chicken right before it goes on the grill.)
- Set the grill for indirect high heat: Set up the grill to cook on indirect high heat (450°F or higher internal temperature). For my Weber Summit, I preheat the grill with all burners on high for 15 minutes. Then I brush the grates clean, leave burners #1, #2, and #6 on, and turn off the other burners.
- Melt the butter, sizzle the garlic: While the grill is heating, microwave the butter and garlic until the butter is melted and you hear the garlic sizzling, about 1 minute.
- Grill the chicken over indirect high heat Summary:
- Brush the skin side of the chicken with half the garlic butter. Put the chicken on the grill, skin side down, so it is not directly over the fire - we’re cooking with indirect heat. (If your grill setup allows it, place the chicken so the drumsticks are close to the fire, and the breasts farther away.) Brush the fleshy side of the chicken with the other half of the garlic butter, then close the lid. Grill, covered, for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken skin side up and cook, covered, until the chicken reaches 160°F in the thickest part of the breast, about 15 more minutes.
- Crisp the skin over direct heat: At this point, you should have nice, crispy skin. If you don’t, move the chicken directly over the fire and sear, turning often, until the skin is crisped up, about 4 minutes. Watch out - dripping chicken fat causes flare-ups, and you don’t want to burn the chicken at the last minute.
- Serve: Let the chicken rest for ten minutes, then cut into pieces and serve.
Notes
For butterflying instructions, see my How to Butterfly A Chicken video.
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Grilling
- Cuisine: American