Grilled Chicken

Spring temperature edged briefly above 70° this past week and there was a mighty rush for outdoors, esp. grilling outdoors. After a loooong winter, the storm windows come off and I turned on the gas and fired up the barbie.

Today's offering is about as easy as can be for the dining table: grilled chicken rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

First, butterfly the chicken by removing the backbone. Place the chicken on its breast and run a sharp knife along both sides of the back bone to remove it. An alternative would be to use kitchen scissors. Slightly split the breast bone to make the chicken lie flat. Find the joint between the leg and thigh and slice half way through. This will ensure that the dark meat will cook through.

You can remove the shoulder bones that stick up by cutting them at the joint. To make it easier to cut up after cooking, turn the chicken over, run a paring knife along each side of the wishbone. Place your thumb on the top of the bone and remove. Recently I talked my daughter in LA thru this butterfly thing...several call-backs later, she informed me that the butcher would do this for free. That's an option.

Rub your choice of oil, olive or vegetable, all over the chicken. Season well with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Place skin side up on medium grill for 15 minutes. If the flame is too high, you may experience flame ups so keep a bottle of water handy along with the beverage of your choice - mine is homebrew. Turn every 15 minutes until done. A 3½ to 4 pound bird will take about an 40 to 45 minutes. The skin will be browned and crisp.

Remove from the grill and cut into serving pieces.