Michael Cooks Dinner (Again)

I am not the only one in our home who cooks.  I am truly blessed to have a husband who definitely knows his way around the kitchen and is not afraid to try something new.  When we first married he brought with him many, many cookbooks and recipes he had clipped from here and there (I joked that they were his dowry).  A few weeks ago he brought home the October 2011 issue of Southern Living.  Now as you know, neither one of us is from the south but we are growing to enjoy the food.  We don't really deep fry and try to keep the butter to a minimum but...I have to say, there is an awful lot of good southern food.

It was while perusing this magazine that he came across this recipe for Chicken Under a Skillet and has now made it twice for us (last night was one of the times).  The chicken is absolutely delicious!  The cooking method keeps the chicken moist and the flavors of the spices are wonderful.  We are fortunate here that we can grill almost all year but if you cannot I suspect some of this can be done on the stove and then finish it off in a low oven.  I found chickens on sale at Save A Lot for 79 cents a pound and one chicken lasts the two of us many meals!  I only bought two but think I may have to sneak back and pick up another two at this great price.

Chicken Under a Skillet

·         YIELD: Makes 4 servings

·         HANDS-ON:25 Minutes

·         TOTAL:2 Hours, 15 Minutes

·         COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

·         1 (3- to 4-lb.) whole chicken

 ·       3 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered

·         1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

·         1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

·         1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

·         1 tablespoon lemon zest

·         2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

·         1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

·         1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence

·         1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken, and pat dry. Place chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Cut chicken, using kitchen shears, along both sides of backbone, separating backbone from chicken; discard backbone. Open chicken as you would a book. Turn chicken, breast side up, and press firmly against breastbone with the heel of your hand until bone cracks. Tuck wing tips under. Place chicken in a baking dish or pan.

2. Pulse garlic and next 8 ingredients in a food processor until mixture forms a thick paste. Reserve half of paste. Rub remaining half of paste on both sides of chicken. Cover chicken with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.

3. Heat one side of grill to 300º to 350° (medium) heat; leave other side unlit. Place chicken, breast side down, over lit side of grill; top with a piece of aluminum foil. Place a cast-iron skillet on foil-topped chicken to flatten. Grill, covered with grill lid, 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove skillet and foil. Turn chicken over, and transfer to unlit side of grill. Grill, covered with grill lid, 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of breast registers 165°. Remove chicken from grill, and let stand 5 minutes. Brush with reserved paste.

Southern Living OCTOBER 2011