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Whole Grilled Chicken

Grill a Whole Chicken for the most succulent meat ever. I'll show you how to spatchcock (butterfly) a fryer for the barbecue so it cooks perfectly!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 5 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 274 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds whole frying chicken
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil for basting, optional
  • barbecue sauce homemade or store bought, for basting and serving (optional)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Light your grill and mound your charcoal to one side of the grill, creating a "hotter" and a "less hot" side of the grill.
  2. Spatchcock and season your chicken - see notes below
  3. Add the chicken to the hot grill, skin side up, on the cooler side of the grill. Place the chicken so that the legs are facing the hotter side of the grill, since they can take a little more cooking. Cover and allow the chicken to cook until it's nearly fully cooked (about 5 or so degrees away from 165F). This should take about an hour or so, use a meat thermometer to check when you think it might be getting close. The skin should start to dry out a little, if it seems like it's drying out too much you can brush it with a little vegetable oil.
  4. When the chicken is almost fully cooked, baste it with your sauce of choice (optional) and flip it over so it is skin side down on the hotter side of the grill. Cover and allow to cook for a few more minutes until the skin is crispy and the chicken is fully cooked. Make sure to check on it a couple times to make sure it isn't getting too charred for your liking. If you need to cook it a little longer but don't want the skin to get burnt, move it back to the middle or the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking.
  5. Remove the chicken from the grill and serve with your sides of choice!

Notes

  • A good pair of kitchen shears is the best tool for spatchcocking a chicken. Place your chicken with the legs facing you, breast-side down. The backbone will be facing up. With your kitchen shears, cut along the backbone, about an inch or so away from the center. Then, make the same cut on the other side of the backbone. Remove the whole backbone and discard (or save for making chicken stock!)
  • Turn the chicken over, open it up, and flatten the breast out firmly with the palm of your hand so it lays relatively flat.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste, or a spice rub if you are using one.

Nutrition Information

Serving 6ounces Calories 274kcal (14%) Protein 20g (40%) Fat 21g (32%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 6g Monounsaturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 82mg (27%) Sodium 76mg (3%) Potassium 206mg (6%) Vitamin A 152IU (3%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 12mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 274

% Daily Value*

Serving 6ounces
Calories 274kcal 14%
Protein 20g 40%
Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g 35%
Monounsaturated Fat 8g 40%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 82mg 27%
Sodium 76mg 3%
Potassium 206mg 4%
Vitamin A 152IU 3%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.