It was too hot to use the stove tonight here, so I decided to go for the grill instead. As you know if you follow my blog, we live in a condo and New York State law says no charcoal or gas grills can be stored if you live in this type of dwelling, so I use an electric grill instead. You don’t always get the greatest results, but it works pretty well if you combine it with using a smoker box. I wanted to do something very simple tonight, so I found this recipe from America’s Test Kitchen for a grilled butterflied chicken. I did jazz it up a little bit by adding a dry rub and the smoker box, but you can easily just do this with just some salt and pepper.

Grilled Butterflied Chicken

2 cups of wood chips, soaked and drained

Vegetable oil

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) whole chicken

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Place the wood chips in a disposable aluminum tray or a smoker box. Rest the box on top of the primary burner. Turn all the burners on to high, close the lid and heat the grill until it is very hot, about 15 minutes. Clean and oil the grill and turn all the burners to medium-low.

Mix the garlic, salt, pepper and parsley together in a small bowl. Remove and discard the gizzard packet from inside the chicken. Butterfly the chicken using poultry shears. Lay the chicken on its breast and use the poultry shears to cut out the backbone. Flip the chicken to breast side up and cover it with plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder, flatten the chicken by pounding lightly. Season both sides of the chicken with the dry rub.

Grill the chicken skin-side down, covered, until the skin is crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted deep into the thigh registers 165 degrees, about 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a carving board, tent with foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving into pieces.

It is all super easy, very fast and tastes great. We just made some sliced carrots and diced potatoes to go along with the meal and it was perfect.

For tomorrow, we’ll be using a lot of the leftovers. I am planning some chicken salad sandwiches, potato salad and cole slaw, so you can check back to see how I decide to make them. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!