Orange Spiced Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken

Step 1

Remove any giblets from the inside of the chicken and pat it dry with clean kitchen towels. Spatchcock the chicken by placing the chicken on a cutting board breast side down. Use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to remove the backbone by cutting along each side of the bone through the chicken and rib bones. Open the chicken up and score the breastbone deeply, but don’t cut all the way through the chicken. Turn the chicken over and push down on the breasts and wings to flatten the chicken, turning the legs towards the center of the chicken and flattening as much as possible. Tuck the wings under the breasts of the chicken.

Step 2

Rub the olive oil over both sides of the chicken. Combine the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, garlic, salt and black pepper in a small bowl and rub the spice mixture into both sides of the chicken. Let the chicken rest for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 3 hours.

Step 3

Combine the orange marmalade, rice wine vinegar, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and red chili flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer to melt the marmalade. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken the glaze and then turn off the heat and set the glaze aside.

Step 4

Pre-heat the grill to medium heat (or create an indirect heat cooking area of your charcoal grill by moving the coals to one side). Grill the chicken breast-side up for 20 minutes (over the medium heat area of your charcoal grill). Lower the heat slightly (or move the chicken to the low heat area of your charcoal grill) and turn chicken over and grill breast side down for 20 minutes. Check a couple times to make sure the skin is not getting too dark. If so, lower the heat again.

Step 5

Baste the chicken with some of the glaze. (This is where you have to pay attention to not letting the chicken get too dark.) Flip the chicken over to breast-side up and baste again. Grill on medium-low heat for 20 more minutes, or until the temperature reaches 165°F with an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breast and thigh. Brush the top with glaze once again and flip the chicken over to crisp the skin for 5 minutes or so before removing it from the grill.

Step 6

Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving it into pieces and arranging on serving platter. Pour the rest of the glaze over the chicken before serving.