Grilled Citrus Chicken under a brick (or Skillet)

Michael and I recently went to a cooking demo/class in Burlingame and learned some great tricks to grilling and marinading. One of the biggest lessons was about making the most of your marinade. You will see from the recipe below is that you can make a great marinade and then cook and use it as a sauce / gravy afterwards.


At first, we were skeptical - Is it safe was this biggest thing on our minds. But here's the trick. After preparing the marinade (see recipe below), pour into a small saucepan and boil (at least 3 minutes) to cook off all bacteria. Bring to a soft boil until reduced (by about 60%) and thickened. This makes an excellence sauce / gravy for your chicken. Delicious!

Grilled Citrus Chicken:

1 cup Fresh Orange Juice
1/3 cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 cup fresh Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Oregano
3 Tsp Salt, divided
2 Tsp Finely Chopped Fresh Rosemary
1 Garlic Clove, Chopped
1 Whole Chicken (approx 3-5 lbs)
1 Tsp Paprika (Hungarian or Smoked is nice)
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1-1/2 Oranges
2-foil wrapped bricks OR 1- Cast Iron Skillet

Whisk juices, olive oil, oregano, 1 Tsp salt, rosemary and garlic in a glass baking dish. Add Chicken to marinade.

Note: Use good kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to cut cleanly between the whole chicken's breasts to open up for marinade.

Turn to coat, chill at least 2 hours to overnight, turning occasionally.

When your ready to cook, mix remaining 2 Tsp salt, paprika and pepper in a small bowl

Note: Do not be shy with the salt - make sure you coat the chicken liberally with salt to bring out the flavor (don't worry, the chicken won't be salty ;-)

Grill:

Spray grill rack with non-stick cook spray (or brush with olive oil). Slice 1/4 slices of oranges, loosen skin from chicken and place slices underneath skin (breasts and thighs). Rub paprika mixture all over chicken (don't forget underneath the skin) Prepare BBQ over medium heat (about 400 degrees).

Place chicken, skin side down on grill. place skillet (or bricks) on top of chicken. Cover and grill until skin is crispy and brown, about 15 mins. Turn chicken on grill, replace cover and let cook about 15 mins longer. Let chicken rest about 10 mins.

While chicken is cooking, pour marinade into a saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce until thickened, making a great sauce for the chicken.