Smoky Paprika-Grilled Butterflied Chicken
Smoky flavor, delicious chicken. The makings of a perfect summer evening.
Servings : 3-5 Prep Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 3h45m
This recipe for smoky grilled butterflied chicken is just what your summer night needs. It’s just what ours needed, anyway. We toyed with Martha Stewart’s recipe, upping the garlic (obviously) and adding green onions for a little bit more sweetness to balance the smoke of the paprika. You’ll appreciate the fact that the chicken is butterflied when you go to put it on the grill – you’ll find it cooks much more easily. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Pasturebird chicken (approximately 2.5 lbs)
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- 2-3 green onion stems, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Thaw your frozen chicken by placing it in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with cool water (not hot water, that’ll just awkwardly cook the outside half-inch of your chicken), and let it thaw for a few hours.
- While it’s thawing, you can make the marinade. Combine the olive oil, sherry vinegar, chopped garlic and green onion, paprika, salt, and pepper into a large resealable plastic bag (or a baking dish).
- Once chicken is thawed, add it to the marinade. Seal the bag or cover the dish, and refrigerate overnight (or at least three hours. The longer the better).
- When your chicken is thoroughly marinated, preheat your grill to medium.
- While it’s preheating, remove the chicken from marinade and discard the marinade.
- Place chicken on the grill. This is where the fact that it’s butterflied, or “spatchcocked,” comes in handy. The breasts take longer to cook, and having the chicken lie flat puts the breasts closer to direct heat. Put the hood down and grill for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, flip the chicken and grill on the other side for about 20-25 minutes. What you’re looking for is for an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, close to the bone, reads about 160 degrees. This can take as long as 50 minutes, but check!
- At that point, remove chicken from grill and let it rest 10 minutes under a tent foil (You ultimately want a chicken that reaches 165 degrees of internal temperature.) Pair with your favorite white wine or rose, and dig the heck in.
