Subject: Roasted on the Grill Chicken
From: [email-masked] (Diane M. Ferrell)
Date: 10 Apr 1997 06:32:09 -0600
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes

Roasted on the Grill Chicken

3-4 lb roasting hen
2 slices pancetta (can substitute bacon)
2 small lemons
2 potatoes
1 very large onion
1/4 cup butter
2-3 tbsp minced fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1 tsp crushed dried basil
salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste
about 1 cup water

Wash and clean the chicken, removing the gizzard, heart, liver, and neck
from the cavity.  Remove any pin feathers on the skin and any bits of
tissue left in the cavity. Rub in the inside of the cavity with the butter
trying to leave little pieces of butter.  Peel the potatoes and cut into
fourths if they are small or into smaller pieces of the potatoes are
large--about 2" across.  Set in a pan of cold water.  Peel the onion and
slice in half width-wise then cut into pieces about the size of the
potatoes.  Set aside.  Salt and pepper the inside of the cavity and also
the neck cavity. 

Remove the stem and blossom ends of one of the lemons and slice into 1/4" 
rounds.  Set aside.  Juice the other lemon and place the lemon juice in a
shallow bowl.  Drain the potatoes.  Add the parsley to the lemon and toss
the potatoes and the onions in the lemon juice and parsley.  Stuff the
cavities with the potatoes and lemons.  With this kind of stuffing you
don't really need to secure the cavities closed.  Place the chicken in a
metal baking dish being sure to fold the neck flap under to keep the
potatoes and onions in.  Turn and tuck the ends of the wings under the
chicken.  Rub any remaining butter over the chicken placing little pieces
in the wings and under the skin if you can. (You can separate the skin
from the meat at the opening of the cavity and slip a few pieces of butter
under the skin without cutting the skin.) Pour any remaining lemon juice
and parsley all over the chicken.  Cut the pancetta slices in half.  Salt,
pepper, and garlic salt the chicken all over, to taste.  Pull up the leg
ends together, or cross them, and securely tie them together.  Arrange the
lemon slices and the pancetta slices over the chicken.  Add one cup of
water to the pan and then cover the chicken with heavy duty aluminum foil
sealing well. 

The gas grill should be on medium to low flame, bringing the temperature
to about 300 degrees.  I usually have one side of the jets at medium flame
and the other side (the one where I will place the baking pan) at a very
low flame.  Figure about 25 minutes per pound for full roasting.  Every so
often baste the chicken with the drippings--be sure to baste into the
cavity also.  About 3/4 of the way of the cooking time, remove the foil so
that the skin will brown--baste frequently and rotate the pan every so
often so that the chicken will brown evenly.  (Add a little water or
chicken stock if there are not enough drippings to baste often.)

When done, remove from the grill, cover lightly and let sit for about 15
minutes before carving and serving.  I've always had moist chicken with a
slight smoky taste when roasting it this way.  And the lemony potatoes and
onions are delicious. 

--
Diane M. Ferrell
University of Colorado, the Springs
[email-masked]

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