So today I want to make a whole roasted chicken. Don’t really want to use the oven- too hot. Have a Superwave oven, which works nicely, except it doesn’t really crisp up the skin as I like it. I like that sucker brown and crispy all around. I do have a nice gas grill with four jets (or whatever you call them). I’m thinking I can just have the jets on on one side and put the chicken on the other side for indirect heat. Right? Will this method work to make the skin crispy without burning? I normally put an herb/butter mix on the skin before cooking, but I’m thinking I should just put it on the side that’s up this time, otherwise it’ll just drip off the bottom. I do not have a rotisserie, fwiw.
Does anyone have any experience cooking whole chickens on the grill?
It’ll work, and I suspect it’ll probably be hot enough to crisp up the skin, but I can’t guarantee it without having used your grill before. I would rotate the chicken at some point, because you will have one side that is a bit hotter than the other.
One method is to put an opened can of beer on the grill and put the chicken down on it so the beer is inside the cavity. They even make beer can holder things to make this easier to do. It raise most of the chicken up higher from the heat and the steaming beer adds flavor while still cooking the inside of the chicken.
Otherwise, I’d suggest halve or quarter the chicken, cook it with low heat and finish with direct high heat. Or as an alternative make chicken in foil out of quarters. Best choice would be to put a cast iron pan on the grill and use it to make fried chicken.
Beer can chicken and spatchcocking both work great. I like spatchcocking a little more, but it’s a little more work as well. But really, neither one is particularly hard.
I always start my chicken skin side up on indirect heat for about 10 minutes to render off some of the fat, then flip it skin side down over direct heat for 5-10 minutes to crisp the skin. Keep a close eye for flame ups during this part. Then finish skin side up on indirect for another 20-30min until done. I baste with a spicy vinegar sauce during the last few minutes but you could use your herb butter then too. Also, spatchcock it before starting.
I have been using an electric rotisserie on my 4-burner gas grill a lot this summer. I turn on the outside burners, and put the chicken in the middle of the rotisserie skewer so it gets indirect high heat for about an hour. Comes out with crispy skin and juicy fall apart meat. Very good with adobo seasoning. The best part is it is pretty much set it and forget it, as it yields uniform browning and self basting of the whole chicken.
I would try the beer can chicken, except I don’t have any beer, and I’m not going back out today (but I make a whole chicken often, so next time). So spatchcocking it is. If Athena says it’ll be good, then I believe that it will be good.
Another vote for beer can chicken, though it can be a pain to get the bird to stand upright. I recommend one of these or similar. You also don’t need to use beer; you can clean out a soda can and fill it half full of water to similar effect. The important part is the moisture imparted.
Yeah, the type of can doesn’t matter. The liquid itself doesn’t really impart any flavor, and you don’t even need to have any liquid there, either, except for support. I’ve done it a few times, but don’t get the appeal of this method. Spatchcocking produces far better chicken, and, hell, even normally roasted chicken is better, IMHO. (But a little fussier to get just right). Apparently, I’m not the only one critical of the method.
That said, plenty of people seem to like doing it, and if it yields a product you enjoy, go for it. There is something fun about sticking a beer can up a bird’s bum.
