Oregano-Marinated Grilled Chicken with Charred Lemons Recipe
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Grilling a whole chicken is easy when you butterfly it. Also known as spatchcocking, butterflying is simply removing the backbone so the bird can be opened up like a book and laid flat, which promotes fast and even cooking. You can ask your butcher to do it, though it’s easy to do yourself with a good pair of kitchen scissors. We’ve added a step that involves threading two skewers through the butterflied chicken, which keeps it flat and makes for a pretty presentation.
Special equipment: You’ll need 4 skewers for this recipe; it’s easier to thread the chicken using metal skewers, though you can use wooden ones. Be sure to soak wooden skewers in warm water for 30 minutes before using, so they don’t burn on the grill.
For the marinade:
- 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 medium lemons)
- 5 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup packed fresh oregano (leaves and tender stems only)
- 2 tablespoons packed fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the chickens:
- 2 (4- to 5-pound) whole chickens
- 4 skewers
To grill the chickens:
- 3 medium lemons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Refrigerate in a container with a tightfitting lid for up to 1 day.
For the chickens:
- Rinse the chickens inside and out with cool water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the necks and innards and discard or save for another use. To butterfly each chicken, use a sharp pair of poultry shears or kitchen scissors to cut down both sides of the backbone. Remove and discard the backbone, or save for another use.
- Press down on each chicken’s breast to flatten it. If it won’t flatten, flip the chicken over, skin side down, and lightly score the cartilage on the back of the breastbone. Flip the chicken back over and press down again on the cartilage so the chicken is lying completely flat.
- Place the chickens in a large, shallow dish and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour all of the marinade over the chickens and turn them several times until evenly coated. Cover the dish and refrigerate at least 12 hours, turning the chickens occasionally.
- To prepare the chickens for the grill, remove them from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off for a few minutes. (If using wooden skewers, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes before proceeding.)
- To skewer, lay one chicken skin side up on a cutting board, drumsticks pointing toward you and wings pointing away. Secure the wing tips by tucking them behind the back of each wing. Flip the chicken legs over so the tops of the drumsticks, or the “knees,” are facing inward and almost touching.
- With a skewer, pierce through the joint between the wing and the drumette. Thread the skewer through the point where the wing meets the back or the “shoulder” and through the upper edge of the breast. Continue through the other breast and shoulder and out the other side between the wing and the drumette.
- With another skewer, pierce through the outer part of the thigh. Continue through the back of the joint between the drumstick and the thigh. Push the skewer through the cartilage at the point of the breast. Continue through the other drumstick-thigh joint and out the other side. Your bird is now ready to go on the grill. Repeat the process with the other chicken. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill.
To grill the chickens:
- Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium (about 350°F to 450°F). Remove the chickens from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature while the grill heats up, at least 30 minutes.
- Slice the lemons in half crosswise. Using 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, brush the cut side of each lemon half and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
- Place the chickens on the grill skin side up and close the lid. Every 10 minutes, rotate the chickens 90 degrees in a clockwise direction. After the chickens have been rotated 4 times, about 40 minutes later, flip them over. Rotate the chickens every 5 minutes until they have completed one rotation (360 degrees), another 20 minutes total.
- When an instant-read thermometer inserted into the inner thigh reads 160°F to 165°F (be sure the thermometer is not touching the bone) and, when pierced, the juices run clear, remove the chickens from the grill. Let the chickens rest on a cutting board for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- While the chickens rest, place the lemon halves on the grill cut side down and grill until charred and softened, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the skewers from the chickens and cut each chicken into eight serving pieces. Serve with grilled lemon wedges.
Beverage pairing: Boutari Moschofilero, Greece. Moschofilero is an indigenous Greek variety that is wonderfully balanced between herbal flavors and light fruits, and is light- to medium-bodied. This version is especially light, cheerful, and easy-drinking, making it a great match for the simple, delicious chicken.
The only problem here is the throwing away of good chicken parts. I put them in a freezer bag and freeze until enough has accumulated to make stock. Waste not, yada yada yada!
Ms Shellhill,
I am so curious. I think I missed something here about the way Italy spatch cocks a fowl. I am Italian and I have never seen nor heard of your description. I have always heard of the procedure used by Ms. Mollenkamp.
Could you please explain your procedure better for us Italians, because it defies gravity.
In Italy they butterfly the chicken by cutting the breast bone instead of the backbone. This way, the breast meat sits on the outside of the fire and slightly lifted up -- doesn't dry out as it does lying flat and in the middle.
mediterranean is good! not bad for cook time considering the marinating! im no good in marinating so i'll have someone do that for me! haha looks and sounds good!
This is such a cool way (Very Mediterranean) to prep a bird. You picked this up in your travels abroad Huh!!! I have a difficult time roasting, baking, grilling indoor/outdoor a chicken any other way. Now you have let the puppy out of the run... Aida. I just used your ingredient list for Herb Rubbed Turkey Breast for Spatchcocking a Chicken at Thanksgiving.
Tonite I am going to use this recipe and your butterflying method for another festive fowl.
PS Very nice job in your presentation on skewering the bird. Extremely detailed and highly useful production. Because without your visual step by step tutorial, this (spatchcocking thing) could determine whether people utilize this very practical, efficient (not to mention... really cool) approach to preparing birds of any size.
PSS I like leaving "IN" the keel bone as it makes for a much more manageable task on the grill or oven. By the time your bird has rested on the cutting board a 8"Chefs knife makes quick use of the ships keel... as it were.
We loved this marinade. We just slow cooked the chicken for a few hours on the BBQ and it came out marvy!
Fantastic recipe, though I skipped the charred lemons.
Buttlerflied chicken is an awesome way to cook on the grill. My only suggestion would be to remove the keel bone after taking out the backbone and laying the bird flat. Once the keel bone is removed (which can be slightly difficult) you can just divide the breasts by slicing down the middle. It makes serving the chicken much easier.
sounds great, maybe a couple tablespoons of orange marmalade in the mariande which also be good
that is the thing about oregano,
fresh it is not overpowering
it is nice and subtle. but it is one of those herbs that get stronger (even can be overpowering ) when dried
what would we do with out it
OMG this is a great marinade and a new way of cooking chicken. Had never tried this method before but is very easy. I happened to have an oregano plant in my yard so had easy access to lots of oregano. After grilling there is not much oregano taste just a very juicy subtle herb flavor. Try this one.