The Best Grill-Roasted Chicken

Published July 1, 2000.

Rub the bird with spices and flip it just once for crisp, bronzed skin and flavorful, moist meat. (And then try cooking it on a beer can.)

The Problem

While grilling legs, breasts, or thighs is no doubt the quickest and easiest way to turn out a chicken dinner on a summer night, it's not the way to turn out the most flavorful chicken dinner. Chicken parts don’t spend enough time on the grill to pick up much smoke flavor. Grilling a whole chicken is the answer to smoky flavor, but all too often whole grilled chickens end up charred on the outside and raw on the inside.

The Goal

A whole chicken with a deeply smoky flavor, crisp mahogany skin, and tender, juicy meat.

The Solution

Brine the chicken and coat with a flavorful spice rub. Arrange the coals in two piles on either side of the grill, leaving an empty area in the middle. Cook the chicken in the middle of the grill where it won’t burn but will receive ample heat from both piles of coals. Add soaked wood chunks to the piles of charcoal for maximum smoky flavor.

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