Chicken Recipes

If you’re not familiar with a kamado it’s a derivation of an ancient Chinese clay cooking pot that was later adapted by the Japanese (who named it Mushikamado) and it finally made it to the western world in the middle of the last century. Nowadays the clay has been replaced by high performance ceramic, it still typically is fuelled by charcoal but the versatility of the ceramic barbecue grill is pretty amazing. There’s a variety of brands on the market such as the Primo kamado and the Big Green Egg but it has to be said that trying to find a kamado ceramic barbecue in Europe is still a thankless task.
The kamado is so versatile in that you can use it as a grill, smoker or even as an oven. The temperatures you can reach make it possible to cook pizza and I also like to use mine to mimic the tandoor and it’s great for chicken tikka and naan bread. For today however I’m going to concentrate on the whole chicken and use my kamado as a smoker and a traditional oven.
Roast Chicken
A roast chicken dinner has to be one of my favorites and cooking the chicken in the kamado makes for a fantastically moist bird and what’s more it couldn’t be more simple. It’s just a matter of heating the kamado up to the normal roasting temperature of 180°C and applying the rule of 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes and you’ll get it right first time and every time. Put a drip tray under the bird with about an inch of water in it for added moisture and really tasty gravy.
Because you’re cooking at a normal roasting temperature you can also do your roast potatoes at the same time and just one final tip for the chicken:-
Sprinkle the bird with salt and pepper before cooking to give a simple flavor and the salt with crisp up the skin. Stuff the cavity with 10 cloves of garlic.
Smoked Chicken
The kamado barbecue is the most economical smoker that I’ve ever used. Thinking back to the days of an offset bbq smoker and tending the coals every hour really doesn’t excite me and thankfully since I bought my Big Green Egg it’s now become a thing of the past. The kamado has to be the most economical outdoor cooker that I’ve ever used, load it up with charcoal and it will happily run at a “normal” smoking temperature for five or six hours without the need to tend it. Just keep your eye on the thermometer every hour or so and adjust the vents if appropriate.
All the flavor for smoked chicken has to come from the smoke because if you salt the bird then this will make it dry out. Feel free to season with a little pepper and as an option you can inject the bird with some olive oil and this will keep it super moist and add a little flavor. For smoke, try bbq wood chips from a citrus fruit such as lemon, a subtle flavour for a subtle meat.
The cooking process for smoked chicken is pretty simple, just work on 60 minutes per pound of meat at 120°C and you’ll be about right. To test whether it’s done you can ether use a barbecue thermometer or simply skewer the chicken in the thigh and check that the juices run clear. Once cooked, put the bird aside to rest for 30 minutes, it will still cook and as the chicken cools, the juices will be sealed into the meat and this means that any leftovers will be great cold. Leftover chicken breast can be dry but not if you follow this smoked chicken recipe.

Chicken is my nations most popular meat however when it comes to the barbecue it’s probably less popular because people are more concerned to ensure that the meat is properly cooked. I’ve known some even to pre-cook chicken in the microwave first but this really isn’t necessary if you follow the basic rules that I’ve set out before.
Just to re-iterate one point when using a charcoal barbecue grill, always give the coals time to settle before starting to cook (about 45 minutes) because despite chicken being described as a lean meat, the fat that is under the skin mobilises very quickly and makes for serious flames. You don’t get beautiful barbecue chicken with a crispy skin but raw chicken with what looks like an dirty oily coating, best described as a health hazard.
So when it comes to how to barbecue chicken there are essentially four different styles, rotisserie, spatchcock, smoker or roast, the fist two are the ones I’m going to concentrate on being specifically for the grill. Hopefully smoked chicken is self explanatory and roast chicken is great in a kamado ceramic BBQ but maybe that’s for another day.
Rotisserie
Rotisserie is when you barbecue chicken on a spit roaster and rotate it over the heat so effectively grilling and continually turning to ensure that the chicken is cooked evenly all over. Rotisserie is probably the most difficult way to barbecue chicken because it’s not so easy to tell when the chicken is done and it’s important to ensure that the inner cavity is cooked. This means that it needs to be cooked well and for longer than if you were roasting the bird but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be dry. The secret is to ensure that your barbecue chicken is basted every 15 minutes with the juices in the drip tray. Check for good cooking either by using a BBQ thermometer or simply stabbing the thigh with a skewer and when the juices run clear (no blood) then it’s done. If using a barbecue thermometer then you’re looking for a breast temp of 165°F and 180°F in the thigh and wing.
Spatchcock
This is my preferred way of how to barbecue chicken because it’s relatively quick (about 45 – 50 minutes) and because the cavity is exposed, you’re guaranteed to have the inside well cooked. The challenge is in the preparation because you’ve got to cut the chicken down either the backbone or the breast bone and this is best done with shears or a sharp knife. When using a knife I tend to cut the breast bone because it’s easier. When you finished cutting, flatten the bird and place it in a BBQ basket and then you’re ready for the grill, 25 minutes each side and then your done. TIP – less fat drips from the inside of the chicken so cook this side first.
Both the above are essentially grill techniques and to simply turn these into full blown barbecue chicken recipes then simply season with salt and pepper. This will add flavor but most importantly the salt will help crisp up the skin – not the most healthy part of the chicken but certainly tasty. If you then want to enhance the recipe then break out your favorite homemade barbecue sauce.

This tasty BBQ chicken recipe benefits from having a clean citrus edge and sweetness to round up the flavours in this dish. The orange juice may be substituted with apple if you prefer.Ingredients:6 chicken fillets, trimmed1/2 litre orange juice3 tbls tomato ketchup or passata (concentrated sieved tomatoes)2 tbls demerera sugar1 tsp dried thyme1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce or your favourite pepper sauce1 tbls cider vinegarDirections:In medium or large sized saucepan add the orange juice, tomato, demerera sugar, cider vinegar, herbs and pepper sauce and bring to a rolling boil. Lower the temperature to a gentle simmer and stir gently and constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved.Divide the sauce mixture into half and allow it to cool. Place 1/2 sauce in a plastic or glass container and place in your fridge and place the remaining half of the sauce and in an oven-proof dish. At this stage you can now add the prepared chicken breasts to a baking dish and mix it thoroughly with the sauce.Cover the chicken and sauce mixture, and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, overnight is preferable for the best flavour.Now turn on your grill to around 150f and add a little oil to the grill rack to prevent the chicken from sticking.Remove chicken from refrigerator and add a light spray of oil to the chicken pieces and generously coat them with the marinade. Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 10 or so minutes on each side until it the chicken has cooked through properly, and test to make sure that the juices run clear.

Continue to coat the chicken with the remaining marinade during cooking being careful not to add too much. Once the chicken has cooked through with the sauce, it will have a shiny fruit glaze and will be ready to serve.

BBQ chicken recipe ingredients

2 x 4-5lb roasting chickens

Olive Oil

Dark Soy sauce

Black pepper

Marinade the roasting chickens first by basting them with equal parts of olive oil, dark soy sauce and crack over about half a tablespoon of black peppercorns. For best results place the roasting chickens on the upper rack area of your BBQ smoker at around 250f to 300f for around 4 or so hours until the internal temperature of the chickens reach 180f.

Tend to your smoker once or twice during the smoking process and top up with wood chips as appropriate. Don’t forget to add some extra water to the smokers water pan to ensure that your chickens are getting a light moist smoke throughout the whole cooking process.

Once the chicken has cooked properly, remove the whole chickens from your smoker and wrap them in some plastic freezer bags or aluminium foil and leave the birds to rest for around 30 minutes or so.

Now that the chickens have had plenty of time to absorb the flavours and rest, remove them from your wrap, and gently pull off the tender meat and discard the BBQ chicken juices. A Weber Smoky Mountain or Big Green Egg are ideal smokers for 2-4 medium sized roasting chickens but you can use any smoking apparatus that you have to hand and cook as many as you wish according to the amount of people you have to feed using the same recipe.

Cooking “low-and-slow” on your smoker or grill is the best way to go if you are looking for the best tasting BBQ chicken. Lowering cooking times and turning up the temperature will allow you to serve your meats faster to your guests, but the results will not be as good.

Once you have removed the wings and legs, carefully cut along the breastbone of each chicken and cut it into a few pieces to your liking. You should notice how tender the meat is as you will observe all of the remaining moisture in the meat because you have cooked your chicken to perfection. It is now time to serve the meat to your guests and enjoy that delicious BBQ chicken taste.