Shelly's Recipe

Grill-Roasted Honey Barbecued Chicken

Category: Poultry I

2 tablespoons olive oil
2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 clove garlic, minced
4 pound chicken, butterflied, patted dry

Honey Glaze
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Asian chile paste, like Sriracha


1. Season the Chicken: In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, thyme, black pepper, chipotle powder, and garlic. Rub all over the chicken and between the breast meat and skin. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set aside 1/4 cup of the honey glaze for drizzling over the cooked chicken.

2. Gas-Grill Instructions: Heat all burners of a gas grill to medium low. An oven thermometer resting on the grill grate (over the hot zone of the charcoal fire) should register about 450 degrees F with the lid down, or you should be able to hold your hand a couple of inches above the grill for 3 or 4 seconds. If it's hotter than this, lower the burners slightly. Brush the grill grates with a stiff wire brush and then wipe with a lightly oiled wad of paper towels.

3. Set the chicken, skin side down, on the grill, cover, and cook until it's nicely browned and easily releases from the grates, 5 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully during this stage and if a flare-up occurs, move the chicken away from the flames until they die down. If necessary, squirt the flames with a little water to quench them.

4. For a three-burner gas grill, turn the middle burner off and set the front and back burners to medium low. For a two-burner grill, turn the back burner off and set the front burner on high.



5. Flip the chicken and move it to the cooler zone of the grill (an oven thermometer set on the cooler part of the grill (with the lid down) should register about 350 degrees F). Brush the bird with some of the glaze, cover, and cook, brushing with the glaze every 5 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thighs registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Carve and serve drizzled with the reserved glaze.

6. Charcoal Grill Instructions: Prepare a charcoal fire with a hot zone and a cooler zone by pushing all the coals to one side of the grill. An oven thermometer resting on the grill grate (over the hot zone of the charcoal fire) should register about 450 degrees F with the lid down, or you should be able to hold your hand a couple of inches above the grill for 3 or 4 seconds. If it's hotter than this, let the coals cook down. Brush the grill grates with a stiff wire brush and then wipe with a lightly oiled wad of paper towels.

7. Set the chicken, skin side down, on the grill over the hot zone of the fire, cover, and cook until it's nicely browned and easily releases from the grates, 5 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully during this stage and if a flare-up occurs, move the chicken away from the flames until they die down. If necessary, squirt the flames with a little water to quench them.

8. Flip the chicken and move it to the cooler zone of the grill (an oven thermometer set on the cooler part of the grill (with the lid down) should register about 350 degrees F). Brush the bird with some of the glaze, cover, and cook, brushing with the glaze every 5 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thighs registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Check on the fire occasionally; it may be necessary to add fresh charcoal as the fire dies down. Let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Carve and serve drizzled with the reserved glaze.