Chicken on the Grill: 100 Surefire Ways to Grill Perfect Chicken Every Time by Cheryl Alters Jamison, Bill Jamison

From the Publisher

The aroma should be irresistible. The outside should be crisp, the inside juicy. We're talking about one of America's most popular foods — grilled chicken. But how many times does the outside look perfect while the inside is perfectly raw? Or you're simply left with a smoldering, charred mess?

Award-winning cookbook authors and America's outdoor grilling experts, Cheryl and Bill Jamison come to the rescue in Chicken on the Grill.

The Jamisons identify the most common mistakes in grilling chicken and, most important, teach you how to correct them. Learn how to tend to the fire, how to time the grilling process, and how to check for doneness. Their advice and expertise make it easy to enjoy perfectly tender, juicy chicken that is bursting with true flavor only grilling over a fire can impart.

With more than 50 color photographs throughout, Chicken on the Grill is as much a feast for the eyes as it is for the table. The 100-plus recipes include everything from classic Grill-Roasted Chicken and Grilled Chicken Caesar on a Skewer to exotic new dishes like Tequila-Lime Chicken Tacos with Charred Limes and Curried Chicken Roti. There are 50 inspiring ideas for boneless, skinless breasts, plus recipes for wings, sandwiches, and satays. Since man can't really live by chicken alone, there are recipes for sides and sweets such as Rockin' Guac, Grilled Asparagus with Orange Zest, and Frozen Margarita Pie.

Chicken is economical, rich in protein and nutrients, and can be prepared in a wide variety of ways to suit a wide variety of tastes. From everyday family meals to entertaining a crowd, you can't beat a great grilled chicken. And youcan't beat Chicken on the Grill for showing you just how to do it.

The New York Times - Dwight Garner

The chapter on tacos and sandwiches is worth the price of admission all by itself.

Library Journal

In their latest offering, the Jamisons (A Real American Breakfast) run the full gamut of grilled chicken preparations, from appetizers, wings, sandwiches, salads, skinless breasts, and bone-in pieces through whole chickens. After an introductory section on food safety and grilling dos and don'ts, the authors segue into the various recipes, which range from favorites like Beer Can Chicken and Grilled Chicken Pizza to Stuffed Chickens Ni oise and Tequila-Lime Chicken Tacos. Overall, there is an emphasis on fresh herbs, spices, seasonings, and ease of preparation. A section on rotisserie grilling includes recipes and detailed instructions for setting up the equipment, while a final chapter of mostly nongrilled items, such as side dishes and a few desserts, rounds out the menu. The book is well illustrated with large closeups and has an easy-to-follow format, with most recipes fitting neatly on one page. Another nice touch is that many of the recipes list several variations to add further variety. Highly recommended for public libraries and cookbook collections.-Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Lib., Oxford, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• Read a Sample Chapter

Read a Sample Chapter

Seared Chicken Sandwich with Rustic Tomato-Olive Relish

The essence of summer tucked between two slices of bread, this sandwich blends garden goodness with sunny Mediterranean flavors. Try these for a make-ahead evening picnic in your backyard, wrapping them in plain wax paper with one end open and securing the bundles with decorative toothpicks.

Serves 4

Relish

2 large red-ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped briny black olives
3 tablespoons chopped green pimiento-stuffed olives
1 to 2 pickled pepperoncini peppers, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or parsley
2 teaspoons olive oil
Coarse salt (kosher or sea salt), optional

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded ½ inch thick
Garlic-flavored olive oil or other olive oil
Coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
4 squares focaccia or ciabatta, about 4 inches by 4 inches, split horizontally
Leaf lettuce leaves
8 slices fresh mozzarella, optional

1. Prepare the relish: Stir together all the ingredients except the salt in a medium bowl. If the olives don't add enough salt for your taste, stir in salt as needed. Set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to meld.

2. Rub the chicken breasts with just enough garlic oil to coat them and sprinkle them lightly with salt. Cover and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes while the grill heats.

3. Fire up the grill, bringing the heat to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).

4. Grill the chicken uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes total: Turn onto each side twice, rotating the breasts each time to get crisscross grill marks. The chicken is ready when it is white throughout but still juicy. Just before the chicken is done, toast the focaccia on the edges of the grill, as many slices at a time as the grate will accommodate.

5. Drizzle a bit of the accumulated liquid in the relish bowl over the 4 bottom slices of focaccia. Place a lettuce leaf on each. Place the chicken breasts on the lettuce, follow with the cheese, if using, and then spoon the relish over each. Top with the remaining focaccia and serve.

Grill-Roasted Chicken

Crispy and brown, juicy and succulent, a roasted whole chicken makes a magnificent centerpiece for a meal. A front-of-the-flame rotisserie does the job best, but you can rival that success with covered indirect cooking on a grill if you do it properly. Forget the generally recommended simplistic method of using a steady baking temperature, which produces, predictably, a halfbaked result. Instead, start at relatively high heat, in a true roasting style, then rotate the chicken and finish the cooking at a lower temperature. Since we're cooking covered here, the instructions give actual oven temperatures to guide the process rather than our usual hand-test pointers.

Serves 2 to 4

Dry Rub (or use your favorite spice mixture)

1 tablespoon smoked paprika or regular paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
2 teaspoons freshly milled pepper
1 plump chicken (3 ¼ to 3 ½ pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, optional

1. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the mixture inside and outside the chicken both over and under the skin, being careful not to tear the skin. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking, making a hot fire in one half of the grill and leaving the other half unheated. Place an inexpensive portable oven thermometer (available at any kitchen supply store) on the cool half of the cooking grate; don't rely on your grill's built-in thermometer because you want to measure the temperature only on the unheated side. Close the grill, and bring the temperature to 400°F on the unheated side.

3. Preferably wearing washable heatproof mitts, place the chicken breast side down on the unheated side of the cooking grate. (If you have a low-powered gas grill that won't reach the ideal 400°F roasting temperature, you can still grill-bake your chicken in standard oven fashion, increasing the cooking time.) Plan on a total cooking time of 65 to 85 minutes. After 35 minutes, turn the chicken breast side up, brush with butter for a glossier skin, and reduce the heat to 350°F. (On a gas grill, simply turn the heat down; on a charcoal grill, close the vents and spread out the charcoal as necessary.) Cook until the skin is crisp and well browned and an instant-read thermometer stuck in the thickest part of a thigh reads 170° to 175°F.

4. Let the chicken sit for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board, then carve and serve.