SPATCHCOCK GRILLED LIME & TEQUILA CHICKEN

Serve the chicken with your favorite green salad. This could become one of your favorite summer grilled chicken recipes. 

1 whole chicken

Marinade

½ cup tequila

Zest and juice of 3 limes

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

2-inch piece of ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, pushed through a garlic press

2 t ancho chile powder (or any flavor of chile power you desire)

1 T avocado oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Lime wedges

Cut the backbone out of chicken and save in a plastic baggie and freeze for making chicken stock.
Cut through the breastbone and then turn chicken skin side up and slightly flatten with your hands.
Cut two slits at the end of each breast and tuck the drumstick end through.
This keeps the chicken from falling apart when turning over on the grill.
This is called spatchcocking.

Put chicken in a large size zippered plastic bag.

Add the marinade ingredients, close bag, squeeze out most of the air, and squish around to completely cover chicken.

Place bag in a large bowl or baking dish, refrigerate and let marinate for about 4 hours.

Turn bag a couple of times to ensure chicken is evenly covered with marinade.

Prepare a barbecue grill with hot coals on one side.

Fold up a sheet of paper towel into a small square.

Pour on or dip in a little avocado oil.

Using tongs, rub the paper towel over the grill grate.

Cook chicken over medium-hot coals for 2 to 3 minutes, skin side down, to get some grill marks and char. Cover with lid to keep the chicken from burning.

Transfer, skin side down, to indirect heat side of the grill, cover with a lid and cook another 20 minutes.

Turn over and cook another 30 minutes, over indirect heat.

Make sure juices run clear and you can test with an instant-read thermometer. 

The temperature should register 165 degrees F.

Place on a platter and add a few sprigs of cilantro and a few lime wedges.

Serves 4