Brilliant Barbecue Chicken

Summer, traditionally, is a time for barbecues.  The smell of meat grilling on an open fire is incomparable.  Just a waft makes the mouth water.


This evening I prepared this chicken for us, and Quintin, my husband, cooked it on our Weber.  My mother raved about it, licked her fingers!  Jesse couldn't get enough....


It's succulent and soft.  Try it.  You won't believe the flavour!


Brilliant Barbecue Chicken (Serves 4 - 6)


Ingredients


1 whole, raw chicken 
A small onion, roughly chopped
1 -2 cloves of garlic
1 T lemon juice
1 T butter + 1 T butter
Salt
Chicken spice


Method

• Clean the chicken, removing any lose fat and the pope's nose.
• Combine the chopped onion, garlic, lemon juice, butter and a dash of salt.  Mix well to form a paste.
• Carefully ease your fingers underneath the skin of the chicken breast, creating a cavity between the skin and the flesh.  Try not to poke a hole through the skin.
• Gently push about 1 tablespoon of the butter paste underneath the skin, distributing it evenly.
• Sprinkle salt into the abdominal cavity of the chicken.  Rub the remainder of the butter paste all over the inside of the cavity.
• Cut the lemon into quarters.  Squeeze a bit of the juice into the cavity and then place the quarters inside.
• Now rub the other 1 tablespoon of butter all over the outside of the chicken. 
• Sprinkle the entire chicken with a bit of salt and chicken spice.
• Place the chicken on the grill.  Close the lid and grill for 1 and a quarter hours.  It's done when the juices run clear.
• We enjoyed the chicken with a potato salad and a crisp, green salad.

Tips and Hints

• You can prepare the chicken some hours ahead of time and let it stand.  This develops the flavour; sort of like marinading.
• If you prefer slightly spicier chicken, grate the onion and the garlic and add some grated ginger.  Prepare this as part of the butter paste.
• You can prepare this chicken for the oven, too.  Bake covered at around 160 degrees C for about an hour.  For the last 15 minutes, bake without the lid.  Also, make sure that the chicken is not lying in it's sauce for this last cooking time.  Pour this sauce off first and lift the chicken onto a rack.  This final baking time will crispen the skin.

Enjoy!

Have a lovely day.

Shelley