How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken
User Reviews
4.6
How to Make a Great Rotisserie Chicken
Description
The recipe starts by removing giblets and rinsing the chicken, then submerging it in a brine that balances salt and sugar dissolved in water, infused with bay leaves and black peppercorns. This brine step moistens the meat and enhances overall flavor. After several hours, the chicken is rinsed and dried to prepare for roasting.
Seasoning the cavity generously with kosher salt and stuffing it with lemon quarters, red onion, garlic cloves, and fresh herbs like sage and parsley imparts aromatic complexity as the chicken cooks. Olive oil and additional salt and pepper are rubbed on the skin to promote browning and crisp texture during roasting.
The chicken is cooked on a rotisserie, allowing even exposure to heat and self-basting from the drippings, creating juicy meat enclosed in flavorful, crisp skin and a fragrant cavity filling. This preparation suits roasted poultry lovers who want a flavorful whole chicken with a balanced seasoning approach.
Ingredients
- 1 3-½ to 4 pound chicken
- ½ cup kosher salt plus more for seasoning
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- ½ red onion quartered
- 2 lemon quartered, plural
- 4-6 garlic cloves
- herbs sage and parsley, fresh, such as rosemary
- olive oil
- black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken and rinse the chicken with cold water. Trim any excess skin from the neck area. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot or bowl, add the ½ cup of kosher salt and ½ cup of granulated sugar to the pot. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour over the salt and sugar and stir vigorously until it dissolves. Add enough cold water to the pot to cover the chicken and add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Place the chicken in the pot and refrigerate for 4 hours up to 12 hours or overnight.
- Prepare the grill on high. Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse the chicken with cold water, then pat dry. Season the inside of the cavity generously with kosher salt.
- Toss the red onion, lemons, garlic cloves and fresh herbs with a drizzle of olive oil and kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Stuff the mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Rub olive oil over the skin and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Insert the rod through the chicken and attach the prongs, being sure to affix them tightly. Tie the chicken legs together with twine and fold the wings under the chicken breasts.
- Put the chicken on the grill/rotisserie attachment and start the rotisserie. If you have multiple burners, turn off the middle burner and leave the sides on so the chicken cooks over indirect heat. Check the temperature of the chicken often and if it seems to be cooking too fast or too slow on either side, adjust accordingly. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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