I saw David Burtka make this on Food Network. It looked so fresh and delightful – I just had
to try it. If you’ve followed my page
you know that I almost always change the original recipe in one way or
another. However, this time I decided
to stay true to the original and I didn’t change a thing! Shocking!
This chicken is absolutely lovely.
Succulent and flavored perfectly with the citrus and spices. It does take a bit of work to cut the
backbone out of the chicken. But, it
really wasn’t very difficult.
Alternatively, you could ask your butcher to do it for you.
Ingredients:
3 cups
good-quality store-bought tangerine juice
1 cup fresh
lemon juice (from about 3 large lemons)
1 cup canola
oil
2
tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon
coriander seeds, lightly crushed
6 sprigs
fresh thyme
4 large
cloves garlic, lightly smashed
2 whole
chickens (3 to 4 pounds each)
Kosher salt
and freshly ground black pepper
4
tangerines, halved crosswise, any visible seeds removed and discarded
6 small
sprigs fresh mint
Directions:
Special
equipment: 4 large bricks wrapped in aluminum foil and a pair of sharp kitchen
shears
Combine the
tangerine juice, lemon juice, canola oil, honey, coriander seeds, thyme and
garlic in a large storage container. Whisk to combine.
Place 1
chicken, breast-side down, on a plastic cutting board and cut out the backbone
with a pair of sharp kitchen shears. Reserve the backbone in a plastic storage
bag and save for a later use (such as homemade chicken stock). Turn the chicken
over and use your hands to gently press down on the breast to crack the breast
bone so that it lays flat. Add the butterflied chicken to the container with
the marinade. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken and nestle the
birds side by side in the marinade, making sure that they are completely
submerged. Cover with a lid and marinate in the refrigerator, flipping once
halfway through, at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
Preheat an
outdoor grill to medium-low to medium heat. While the grill heats up, remove
the chickens from the marinade and pat fairly dry with paper towels. There
should be a light coating of marinade on the chickens but not too much because
excess oil will cause flare-ups on the grill. Discard the marinade. Season the
chickens liberally on all sides with salt and pepper and tuck the wings under
the breasts.
Place the
chickens, breast-side down, on the hot grill and set 2 bricks on top of each
chicken. Cook until the skin is light golden brown and crispy, about 25
minutes. Use tongs to carefully remove the bricks. Flip the chickens, return
the bricks to the chickens and continue grilling until an instant-read
thermometer inserted in to the thickest part of each chicken registers 165
degrees F, about 25 minutes more.
While the
chicken is cooking, add the tangerines to the grill, cut-side down. Grill until
the flesh is deeply charred in spots, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill
and cool slightly.
To serve,
cut each chicken into 10 pieces and transfer them to a large platter. Nestle
the grilled tangerines around the chicken pieces and top with the sprigs of
mint. Serve immediately.
