Chef Tom and the Kamado Joe Ceramic Charcoal grill unleash your inner chef with the incredible flavor of Chile Crunch Spatchcock Chicken. This recipe shows you how to cook to perfection over smoky charcoal heat.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Scoring the chicken before marinating helps the sauce penetrate deeper. Cutting into the skin and meat gives the Chile Crunch mayo mixture more surface area to soak into, rather than just coating the outside.
- A portion of the marinade is reserved before it touches raw chicken. Setting aside 1/2 cup for dipping before the rest goes on the bird means you get a clean, uncontaminated sauce to serve alongside the finished dish.
- Cooking skin-side down first builds a head start on crisping. Starting the spatchcocked chicken skin-down lets the fat begin rendering and browning before the flip, setting up the final direct-heat crisp at the end.
- Removing the diffuser at the end shifts to direct heat for maximum crispiness. This final step exposes the skin to raw flame, crisping it in just a few minutes after the slower indirect cook.
Chile Crunch Spatchcock Chicken
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 3 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Calories
503
Chef Tom fires up the Kamado Joe Ceramic Charcoal grill for Chile Crunch Spatchcock Chicken!
Ingredients
- 1 (4-5 lb) whole chicken, spatchcocked, scored
- 1 cup Kewpie mayo
-
3/4 cup Colonial Chile Crunch
- Juice and zest of one lime
-
3 tbsp Plowboys BBQ The Jerk Seasoning
Directions
- Build a medium sized hot bed of lump charcoal in the Kamado Joe Classic III Ceramic Charcoal Grill and stabilize the temperature at 400ºF when set up for indirect cooking (diffuser plates or SloRoller in place).
- Combine the mayonnaise, Colonial Chile Crunch, lime zest and juice and Plowboys BBQ Jerk Seasoning in a mixing bowl. Whisk well. Reserve 1/2 cup for dipping.
- Place the scored spatchcock chicken in the bowl with the marinade. Cover with plastic and let marinate in the refrigerator at least two hours, up to 8 hours.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and place directly on the cooking grates, skin side down. Cook until the skin begins to brown, about 30 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 150ºF in the center of the breasts, about 40 minutes total. Remove the deflector plate and flip once again to crisp the skin over direct heat. Remove from the grill when the skin is crisped, just a few minutes.
Divide the chicken pieces and serve topped with grilled green onions and the reserved marinade/sauce for dipping.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why score the chicken before marinating it?
Cutting into the skin and meat gives the Chile Crunch mayo marinade more surface area to penetrate, rather than just sitting on top of the skin.
Why reserve some of the marinade before adding the raw chicken?
Setting aside 1/2 cup before the rest goes on the bird ensures you have a clean sauce for dipping, rather than serving something that touched raw chicken.
Why start the chicken skin-side down over indirect heat?
This lets the fat render and the skin begin browning gently before the flip, building a head start for the final crisping step.
Why remove the diffuser plate at the end of the cook?
Exposing the chicken to direct flame in the final few minutes crisps the skin quickly, finishing what the slower indirect cook started.
What internal temperature should the chicken breast actually reach?
This recipe lists 150°F, but USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for poultry is 165°F, including the breast. Cook to at least 165°F to make sure the chicken is fully safe before serving.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — a home oven with a broiler finish can approximate the crisping step, though the charcoal flavor from the Kamado is the one thing you'd be missing indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Scoring before marinating: This lets the sauce penetrate deeper into the meat rather than just coating the surface.
Reserving marinade before it touches raw chicken: This ensures a clean dipping sauce separate from what coated the raw bird.
Skin-side-down start: Beginning this way over indirect heat renders fat and builds a head start on browning.
The direct-heat finish: Removing the diffuser at the end crisps the skin quickly after the slower indirect cook.
Recommended Recipes
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4.91 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 503
- Carbs
- 3 grams
- Protein
- 30 grams
- Fat
- 40 grams
- Sodium
- 266 milligrams
