Spice Rubbed Grilled Whole Chicken
So back in November a little grill company slid into my DM’s on Instagram and said they loved my grilling posts and seeing more women who grill. I was like “hell yeah! me too!” Then they offered something incredible…to send me a brand NEW GRILL!! This little company is also known as Char-Broil! I was completely floored that a company of that size reached out to me and wanted to gift me with with a new Commercial Stainless Steel 3 Burner Gas Grill! For my first dish on the new grill I knew I had to pull out all the stops and decided to make a whole chicken–my favorite way to cook chicken. I used one of my smoky all-purpose rubs and made Spice Rubbed Grilled Whole Chicken!
How do you cook a whole chicken on the grill?
It’s called spatchcocking! And no, that’s not a dirty word. Spatchcock is when you cut out the backbone from the chicken, making the bird flat.
Why spatchcock a chicken?
It creates a flat surface–perfect for grilling
Allows the chicken to cook more evenly
Since the chicken is flat there is more surface area when grilling (i.e. more grill marks and crispier skin)
How do I keep the chicken moist and flavorful?
Rub the spices (smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and dried oregano) and salt on the chicken for a few hours before grilling. The salt will essentially “dry-brine” your chicken and keep it moist (read more about dry brining here)
Make sure to take your chicken out of the fridge an hour before grilling so it can come up to room temperature
Grill the chicken on indirect heat, also called zone grilling. The burners next to the chicken will be on medium-high and the burners underneath the chicken will be off. This way the chicken can cook on lower heat, more steadily. If you don’t have a grill with multiple burners cook the chicken on low to medium-low heat making sure to turn it frequently so it doesn’t burn.
Why is the Smoky Spice Rubbed Grilled Whole Chicken so special?
The combination of smoked paprika with other spices makes it warming and flavorful
Rubbing salt into the chicken hours before grilling keeps the chicken very moist
Spatchcocking the chicken allows the chicken to cook more evenly and gives the chicken more surface area to get crispy and charred
This chicken is so flavorful and versatile! I love having it with some roasted potatoes, mixed greens and salsa. It’s great to put into tacos or even eating it cold while standing in front of the fridge. I hope you make this grilled chicken soon and don’t be afraid of the whole bird! I am so excited about the new grill from Char-Broil and look forward to creating more grilling recipes for you soon!
Prep Time
4 hr.
Cook Time
45 min.
Total Time
4 hr. 45 min.
Ingredients
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
½ tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp black pepper
4½ pound whole chicken backbone cut out and flattened
½ tbsp avocado oil
kosher salt to taste
Serving Suggestions
roasted potatoes
salsa verde or salsa roja
mixed greens
lemon wedges
Cooking instructions
Combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and black pepper in a small bowl.
Rub avocado oil all over the chicken, making sure to get the wings and legs.
Rub spices and kosher salt all over chicken. You might have leftovers of the spice rub.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat making sure one burner is off. If your grill only has one zone (or burner) then turn it on to medium-low heat.
Place your chicken on the grill (over the burner that is off) skin side up. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
Flip the chicken so the skin is directly on the grill. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. The chicken is still over the burner that is off.
Continue cooking the chicken for another 20-30 minutes, flipping as necessary so the chicken is charred but not burnt.
Using a thermometer, start taking the temperature after 30 minutes. Once the chicken reaches 160°F remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Slice the chicken and serve with roasted potatoes, mixed greens, salsa and lemon wedges!
