Lemon Basil Chicken
Filed Under Chicken, Entree, Recipe | Printer Friendly Page
We picked up a free range chicken from Gills & Beaks Game Farm at the Oshkosh Farmer’s Market over the weekend and it was great! I strongly encourage you to buy fresh local food whenever you can.
Ingredients
- One whole Chicken
Rub
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- Hint of Cinnamon
Marinade
- Approx 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 big bunch Basil
- 5-6 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Rub (recipe above)
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 2 tablespoons Honey
Basting mixture
As you can see this is a lot of basil.
Mix all of the seasonings together to make the rub. This will go into the marinade and the basting mixture as well. Blend all of the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor. Put all of the ingredients for the basting mixture in a small sauce pan and set it aside.
One of the easiest ways to grill a whole chicken is to butterfly it. To butterfly the chicken, you just need to cut the back bone out with a knife or a pair of poultry shears and press it down flat. By doing this, we maximize the grilling surface of the chicken and cut down on cooking time since it is flat. Season the bird with the remainder of the Rub.
Coat both sides of the chicken with the marinade and get it under the skin. Refrigerate for 4 – 6 hours or overnight.
Grill the butterflied chicken indirectly at about 400 – 450 degrees for about 30 – 45 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. 
For the last 10-15 minutes grill over direct heat and baste with the butter mixture.
