Best How To Grill Perfect Chicken Halves And Quarters Recipes

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GRILLED CHICKEN QUARTERS



Grilled Chicken Quarters image

Provided by Food Network

Time 10h45m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar
8 cups ice cubes
6 chicken leg quarters
Basting Sauce, recipe follows
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, divided
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup canola oil

Steps:

  • In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir the salt and brown sugar into the boiling water until dissolved. Place the ice cubes in a large container. Pour the brine over the ice cubes and stir to mix and cool. Add the leg quarters to the cooled brine, adding additional water if needed to make sure they are submerged. Refrigerate overnight.
  • Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Turn one side of the grill off and place the chicken skin-side down over the indirect heat. Cook for 10 minutes, turn, cook another 10 minutes and then brush with a thick coating of basting sauce. Turn, cook another 10 minutes, baste and cook a final 10 minutes for a total of 40 minutes on the grill. The chicken should register at least 160 degrees F and the juices should run clear. Serve immediately.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup lemon juice, honey and salt. While constantly whisking, very slowly drizzle in the canola oil, drop by drop, until an emulsion forms, and then continue adding the oil in a slow steady stream. The mixture should thicken to the consistency of mayonnaise. Whisk in a little water to thin the final sauce to the consistency of a creamy salad dressing. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice, if necessary.

HOW TO GRILL PERFECT CHICKEN HALVES AND QUARTERS



How to Grill Perfect Chicken Halves and Quarters image

Number Of Ingredients 0

Steps:

  • Chicken is one of the most popular foods to grill, yet it causes more trouble than any other grilled fare. More often than not, people serve birds that are burnt on the outside and raw in the center. It's understandable: A halved or quartered chicken with the skin on presents a twofold challenge.The first problem is that the fat in the skin melts and causes flare-ups. The second problem is that, because it contains bones, chicken takes longer to cook than, say, steaks or burgers. And because of food safety issues, you don't want to eat chicken anything less than well done.To cook chicken halves or quarters to perfection, use the two-tiered method, which will enable you to control the heat by moving the birds back and forth over hotter and cooler sections of the grill: See What Cook'n Can Do What is Cook'n? Cook'n Explained See Cook'n in Action! Quick Overview How Important is Dinnertime? Why we do what we do Cook'n Demo Live Video Demo Pinterest Capture & Sync Feature Cook'n Video Scan-It Feature Cook'n Video Professional Cookbook Printing Cook'n Video Add Your Food Photos Cook'n Video Snip-It Tool Feature Cook'n Video Snag-It Tool Feature Cook'n Video Share Recipes with Friends Cook'n Video Live Recipe Feeds Feature Cook'n Video Print Themed Recipes Feature Cook'n Video Social Recipe Sharing Features Cook'n Video User Interfact Improvements Cook'n Video Kitchen View Cook'n Video 1. If using charcoal: When you build your fire, pile the coals in a double layer on one side of the grill and in a single layer on the other.If using a gas grill: Preheat one side to high, the other to medium. In either case, leave yourself plenty of room, so you can move the birds around to avoid flare-ups.2. Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, or any other seasonings you plan to use.3. After oiling the grill grate, place the pieces, skin side down, on the hotter section of the grill. Cook until the skin starts to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Move the pieces to the cooler section of the grill and continue grilling until the skin is thoroughly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. Watch carefully and use tongs to move the pieces away from flare-ups.4. Turn the pieces and move them back to the hotter section of the grill. Brown the second side well (3 to 5 minutes), then move the pieces back to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. The total cooking time will be 16 to 24 minutes. When ready, the chicken will be crisp and golden-brown outside and the juices will run clear when the meat is pierced. 5. If the recipe calls for basting and you are using an oil- or wine-based marinade, you can brush the chicken continuously. If using a sugar-based marinade, start brushing it on during the last 5 minutes of grilling.For the Chicken-hearted: Bird without FlamesYou can avoid the risk of flare-ups entirely by grilling halved or quartered chickens using the indirect method. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, placing a drip pan in the center, under the grate, and preheat to medium. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Place the chicken pieces, skin side down, on the hot grate, over the pan. Cover the grill and cook until the juices run clear, about 40 minutes for halved birds, 30 to 40 minutes for chicken quarters. (In general, breast pieces require less cooking time than leg pieces.) The advantage of this method is that it's absolutely failproof the disadvantage is that the bird will lack the charred flavor you get cooking over direct flames.

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