Rotisserie Chicken
If you have not attempted your own rotisserie chicken then you should give it a try. The chicken comes out incredibly moist and becomes infused with whatever seasonings you place in the chicken cavity or on the skin of the chicken.
We acquired a commercial gas grill a few years ago and the first things I ordered were the attachments to do rotisserie chicken. You do not need a commercial grill, or a gas grill for that matter, to buy attachments to do a rotisserie chicken. It is a bit of an investment but if you take care of the equipment it should last you for years.
- 1 3 to 4 pound chicken (preferably one that has not been frozen)
- 1/3 cup table salt
- 1/2 medium lemon
- 6 to 8 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons poultry rub*
If you want to have a moist chicken you will need to brine the chicken first. I tried just about every combination of salt to water for the brine and I find that 1/3 cup table salt to 3 quarts of water works best. It is also handy that I have a 3 quart sauce pan so I can fill the pan and add the salt. Stir the salt until it is mostly dissolved into the water. Some recipes call for heating the water which helps to dissolve the salt but then you have to cool the water before you can use it. I find that stirring for about 2 to 3 minutes without heating works just fine. Place the chicken in either a very large bowl, or in my case a large plastic container, and pour the brine over the chicken. Cover the container with plastic wrap or the container lid. You want to brine the chicken for at least 4 hours and it is best if left overnight in the refrigerator in the brine.
When finished with the brine you want to dry the chicken thoroughly. I usually stuff the cavity with a couple of paper towels and dry the skin with a few more paper towels. Inside the cavity you want to add about 1/2 tablespoon of the poultry rub throughout. Cut the lemon half into quarters and place two in the cavity. Smash the garlic cloves and place half of them in the cavity, followed by the other two pieces of lemon and then the remaining garlic. Sprinkle the remaining poultry rub all over the surface of the chicken. The surface of the chicken will retain some moisture so the rub should stick fairly easily.
Mount the chicken on the rotisserie attachment. Some attachments use prongs to hold the chicken in place and as with mine some use a little cage that holds the chicken in place. You want to make sure that the chicken is in the middle of the rotisserie attachment.
Preheat the grill making sure that there are two heat sources that are to the sides of the grill. Essentially you want to create an oven effect within the grill without placing the chicken over the very hot direct heat of the grill. Place the rotisserie attachment on the grill and place a roasting pan under the chicken to catch the drippings. This serves three purposes: if you want to make gravy you have some drippings, it also prevents the grill from flaring up when the fat hits the grill, and it is a lot easier to clean up a roasting pan than the entire grill. Ironically do not expect a whole lot of drippings. The whole idea of the rotisserie is to keep as much moisture in the chicken as possible.
My grill maintains a temperature between 325 and 350 degrees. Allowing for the fact that I keep checking on the chicken, and therefore releasing the heat it can take up to 1 1/2 hours to cook. If you are not a nervous nelly like me then probably less time is required. When the food thermometer reads 165 degrees remove the chicken from the rotisserie, place in the roasting pan, and cover with foil for about 15 minutes to let rest.
When done correctly the meat should be infused with the lemon and garlic, and the poultry rub should have flavored the surface of the chicken.
* There are a bunch of poultry rubs out there. Use whatever makes you happy. I have used Paul Prudhomme’s Poultry Magic. My favorite is called Pantry Rub developed by Cook’s Illustrated. We usually make up a large batch with will last for a couple of months in the refrigerator.