Spatchcock BBQ Chicken and Chips
by Maldon Salt
This is a very easy, fuss-free recipe that will certainly deliver in flavour. The best part is the marinade for the chicken, which is made with an infusion of gentle, warming spices like smoked paprika and chipotle paste to give a spicy kick to the meat. With a dash of runny honey and the juice of a lemon, the marinade is brought to a sweeter, zestier level.
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Start by spatchcocking the chicken. Place it on your board breast side down and the legs at the bottom facing towards you. Use a pair of sharp scissors start at the end with the parson’s nose (the end of the tail bone) and then cut either side of the backbone all the way up so you remove it completely. Then flip the chicken over and use your hands to press down on the breastbones and legs to snap the small bones and flatten the chicken out.
Step 2
Now prepare the marinade by mixing together the olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle paste, runny honey and lemon juice. Season this well with Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper.
Step 3
Place the spatchcock chicken on a large tray and the coat it well with the marinade, making sure it gets into all the cavities and is evenly coated. Leave this to marinade for at least 30 minutes, but can be left overnight in the fridge too.
Step 4
When you are ready to cook your chicken, heat up the BBQ. The best way to ensure even cooking is to cook the chicken skin side up on the indirect coals for approximately 20 – 30 minutes (moving it around on the grill every 5 minutes of so to prevent the marinade from burning). Pop the lemon halves onto the grill as well and squeeze over the warm juices to keep the chicken moist as it cooks. Then turn the chicken onto it's skin side for about 15 minutes until the skin is nice and crispy. This really depends on the heat of your BBQ, so make sure to keep an eye on it. Use a digital temperature probe to check the chicken is cook. The thickest part of the leg should register above 80°C.
Step 5
If you aren’t using a BBQ you can simply cook the chicken in the oven at 180°C for 40 minutes, along owth the lemon halves and then place under the grill for a further 10 minutes to crisp up the skin. A spatchcock chicken cooks much quicker than a whole chicken. If you are serving with fries, these will need to go into the oven for 25 minutes at 220°C fan while the chicken crisps up and then rests.
Step 6
Serve the chicken alongside your favourite side dishes – we’ve done chips, seasoned with Maldon salt and salad. It also goes well with garlic aioli mayonnaise.
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
1 tsp Runny Honey 1x Sainsbury's Runny Honey 340g -
1 Lemon, juiced 1x Sainsbury's Lemons -
Maldon Salt, to taste 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g -
1 Large Chicken, approx. 1.9 - 2kg 1x Sainsbury's British Fresh Large Whole Chicken 1.9kg -
1 tbsp Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil 500ml -
3 Garlic Cloves, crushed 1x Sainsbury's Garlic -
1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1x Sainsbury's Smoked Paprika 44g -
1 tsp Cumin 1x Sainsbury's Ground Cumin 43g -
2 tbsp Chipotle Paste 1x Sainsbury's Spicy Chipotle Chilli Paste, Inspired to Cook 90g -
4 tbsp Aioli Mayo 1x Sainsbury's Garlic Mayonnaise 280ml -
900g Oven Chips 1x Sainsbury's French Fries 900g -
100g Salad 1x Sainsbury's Italian Style Salad 100g