For this grilled roasted chicken, a little smoked paprika, chili powder, butter, and salt and pepper are all it takes to make a sensational spatchocked chicken dinner. Crisp and insanely flavorful skin. Tender, juicy meat.

A whole spatchcocked grilled roasted chicken on a round wooden board with dishes of salt and peppercorns on the side.

As most of you know, there tends to be a little guesswork involved while standing at the grill. This grilled roasted chicken recipe sidesteps that by relying on covered grilling, which dispels a lot of the guesswork in terms of how high a flame and how long to leave something over the flame by essentially turning your grill into an oven. As such, a steady temperature can be maintained even on a grill. And yes, this recipe for grilled roasted chicken offers actual specific temperatures and times that you can easily approximate. How easy is that?!–Cheryl and Bill Jamison

Grilled Roasted Chicken

  • Quick Glance
  • (2)
  • 10 M
  • 2 H, 45 M
  • Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients


Directions

Combine the paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture inside and outside the chicken, both over and under the skin. (Be careful not to tear the skin.) Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Prepare the grill for indirect cooking, making a hot fire on half the grill and leaving the other half unheated. Place an inexpensive oven thermometer (available at any kitchen supply store) on the cool half of the cooking grate. (You can't rely on your grill's built-in thermometer because you want to measure the temperature only on the unheated side. ) Close the grill and heat the temperature to 400°F (200°C) on the unheated side.

Using washable heatproof oven mitts, place the chicken, breast side down, on the unheated side of the cooking grate. (If you have a low-powered gas grill that won't reach the ideal 400°F (200°C) roasting temperature, you can still grill-bake your chicken in standard oven fashion, increasing the cooking time as needed until the chicken is cooked through.) After 35 minutes, turn the chicken breast side up. If a glossy skin is desired, brush the bird with a tablespoon or more of butter.

Reduce the heat to 350°F (175°C). If using a gas grill, simply turn the heat down; if using a charcoal grill, close the vents and spread out the charcoal. Cook the chicken until the skin is crisp and well-browned and an instant-read thermometer stuck in the thickest part of a thigh reads 170° to 175°F (76° to 79°C). Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board. Carve and serve. Originally published June 4, 2004.

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Grilled Roasted Chicken Recipe © 2004 Cheryl and Bill Jamison. Photo © 2004 whitestorm. All rights reserved. All materials used with permission.

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