Shelly's Recipe

HERBED CHICKEN

Category: Poultry I

1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp cooking oil and lemon juice
1 tbsp snipped fresh parsley and snipped fresh rosemary plus 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed, divided
1 tsp prepared mustard and Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp celery seed and pepper
2 (3 to 3 1/2-lb.) whole broiler-fryer chickens
1/4 cup apple jelly

For sauce, in a small bowl combine wine, oil, lemon juice, parsley, the 1 tbsp. snipped fresh rosemary OR 1 tsp. of the dried rosemary, the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, celery seed and pepper. Set aside.

Remove the necks and giblets from chickens. Rub additional salt and the remaining dried rosemary inside the body cavities (or place rosemary sprigs in birds). Skewer the neck skin to the backs.

To mount one chicken on a spit rod, place one holding fork on rod, tines toward point. Insert rod through chicken cavity, pressing tines of holding fork firmly into breast meat. To tie wings, slip a 30-in. piece of 100% cotton string under back of chicken; bring ends of string to front, looping around each wing tip. Tie in center of breast, leaving equal string ends.

To tie legs, slip a 24-in. piece of string under tail. Loop string around tail, then around crossed legs. Tie tightly to hold bird securely on spit, again leaving string ends. Pull together the strings attached to wings and legs; tie tightly.

Place the second chicken on spit rod so that the tails of both birds meet. Tie second chicken as for first. Place the second holding fork on rod, tines toward the chicken; press tines of holding fork firmly into breast meat. Adjust forks and tighten screws. Test the balance, making adjustments as necessary.

For a charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above the pan. Attach spit; turn on the motor and lower the grill hood. Let the chickens rotate over drip pan for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until chickens are no longer pink and drumsticks move easily, brushing every 15 minutes with sauce during the first 45 minutes of grilling.

Add jelly to the remaining sauce; stir vigorously until smooth. Brush chickens occasionally with jelly sauce up to the last 15 minutes of grilling. Do not baste during the last 15 minutes. To serve, remove chickens from spit. Cover with foil; let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Serves 8-10