Portuguese Chicken
I admit it - I love meat. I love to cut it, cook it and I love to eat it. There is so much you can do - eat it raw, fry it, stew it, roast it or one of my all time favourites - BBQ it.
The great thing about a barbie is that you can cook almost anything on it and you can fire it up just about anywhere. The options are endless.
I went in search of where barbecue originates from and it’s all pretty obscure, however it seems that the word hails from the Caribbean where it was called barabicu. From there it ended up in many languages until it got to English in about 1697.
One quirky claim is that the word barbecue actually comes from the south of the United States with roadhouses and pool halls advertising “Bar, Beer and Cues”. Go figure.
The origin or the claims don’t really matter. What really matters, is that it’s a fabulous way to cook.
So... in deference to this amazing invention, heres a delicious way with the barbie.
INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken, free range preferably
4 cloves garlic (or more if you really like it)
good slug extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Salivate! Spice Blend
small bunch fresh oregano
small bunch fresh thyme
sea salt
1 lemon
FIRST OF ALL YOU HAVE TO BUTTERFLY OR FLATTEN THE CHICKEN
Step 1 Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Place the chicken on the bench breast side down. Grab a pair of kitchen scissors and cut along both sides of the backbone and remove.
Step 2 Turn chicken over and using your hands, press down firmly to flatten. Easy.
NOW FOR THE MARINADE
Chop up the garlic and the fresh herbs and place in a large bowl. Add the paprika, dried herbs, salt and chilli flakes - 1 tsp for a subtle heat, 2 for a bigger punch. Mix
Add the butterflied chicken and massage the marinade into the bird. I use disposable gloves and really get into it. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours and give it a massage every now and then
Heat the BBQ to really hot and place on the chicken. I like to brown both sides and then put down the lid and turn the heat down a little. If you don’t have a BBQ with a lid, you can cover the chicken with a metal bowl and it will do the same job.
When the bird is cooked - about 15 to 20 minutes depending on size - squeeze lemon juice over it, chop it into as many pieces as you like and pile it up on a platter.
I like to serve this with chopped potatoes par-boiled and then fried in olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and fresh rosemary and a tomato and green salad with a lemon & fruity olive oil dressing.
If you really want to get into BBQ cooking why not grill some corn on the cob or some fresh asparagus as well.