Grilled Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Baste

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and GarlicYesterday, I visited a friend and his family, along with a bunch of other folks. We were all there to spend time with a mother-to-be the day before she was to deliver (by C-section) her third son. Of course, people would get hungry and need to be fed. So it just made sense for me to get to work!

Now this time around was a bit of a challenge; while the family has expressed nothing but enthusiasm for my cooking, they also are firmly in the “put some sauce on that chicken” group when it comes to grilling. Personally, I don’t much care for chicken with BBQ sauce, as I think it’s too much. I prefer something that lets the taste of the chicken shine through more easily.

When Dad did chicken on the grill, he basted it with butter to which he added some lemon and cracked pepper. Being a garlic freak, I added garlic to the baste and have used it that way ever since I was old enough to mind a grill on my own. As a side dish, I also did potatoes, but with a twist: I did the onions separately. This was because at least two people I was to serve really hate onions.

At first, my friend wanted me to use some barbecue sauces; she felt certain someone was going to want to drown their chicken in it. I was a bit surprised by this and quietly told her so. (Never, EVER, raise your voice to a woman. There is no good excuse for it, and it will never get you what you want.) I reminded her that no one had ever turned down seconds… that even the few people who had complaints about me as a person (and they may be right, you know?) always loved my cooking. She agreed that I was correct, and so we compromised by taking the sauce along just in case. (It ended up staying in the car.)

So… let’s look at this family favorite with a twist, shall we?

Butter baste with lemon and garlicIngredients:

Lemon-Garlic Chicken

Chicken pieces
Lots of melted butter
Lemon juice
Garlic
Cracked Pepper
Salt to taste (just a little!)

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic & Onion (sort of)

Potatoes, cubed
Butter
Garlic
Paprika
Salt to taste

Onions
Olive oil

Roasted PotatoesGetting it Done:

NOTE: The potatoes and onions were prepared at our house, then transported to the grill.

1. Wash potatoes and pat dry.

2. Cut potatoes in to cubes – somewhere between 1/2″ and 1″ in size.

3. Melt butter and transfer to large bowl.

4. Add garlic, paprika and salt to butter and mix thoroughly. Normally, I do this recipe with cracked pepper. Today however, I decided to substitute paprika for a little something different.

5. Add potatoes to bowl and stir carefully to coat well.

6. Place potatoes in foil and seal. Because I was cooking so many potatoes, I split them into thirds so the cooking time would not be as long.

Potatoes in foil7. Chop onions and transfer to small bowl.

8. Coat onions with olive oil.

9. Transfer to foil and seal.

For the chicken:

1. Wash chicken pieces and pat dry. For this meal, we used leg quarters, which is what I grew up on. You can use any part of the chicken you prefer, but I do recommend you leave the skin on, at least for grilling.

2. Heat grill on HIGH to get the grate as hot as possible. This is so you’ll have nice grill lines on the chicken. This time around, I used a gas grill; it was fairly small, so I had to use both burners and the entire grill for this step.

3. Place potatoes and onions away from heat. On this grill, I put them on the upper ledge, away from the heat.

Chicken on the grill4. Sear chicken on both sides. Remove from heat when seared. Turn off one side of the grill for indirect cooking.

5. Baste chicken with butter… on top only.

6. Turn chicken every ten to fifteen minutes and baste again. I had to stack the chicken to keep it all away from the heat source, so I rotated it as I turned and basted it. Cooking time will vary, so keep your eye on the chicken. You don’t want it to be overdone, yet you don’t want to see any pink near the bones.

You can check for doneness by turning a thigh to show the bottom, then make a small cut to the bone. If the juices run clear, it’s done. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Leave it bottom up so that much of the juice will reabsorb into the meat.

Grilled chicken ready to serve7. When all chicken is cooked through, remove potatoes and onions from grill. Transfer potatoes to large bowl and stir to thoroughly coat with butter and garlic. Transfer onions to small bowl and stir to coat. Now everyone can have potatoes, and those who want onions can spoon them on top.

8. Yell, “DINNER” or some such and stand back to allow guests to serve themselves first. In truth I was the first one through the line, but only to make a plate for my Special Someone. Then I invited the rest of the ladies to serve, and finally, the guys.

I’m pleased to say that everyone loved both the chicken and the potatoes. Requests for recipe info were mumbled through big bites, and both boys had a second leg quarter for good measure. To me, it just goes to show you that you can have a ton of fun by thinking outside the box a bit.

Try this one out and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Until next time, remember to…

Play with your food!

Lane

Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Garlic


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Lane

About Lane

Lane Baldwin is a an internationally-acclaimed singer, songwriter, author and food lover. He wasn't trained in France, and he doesn't have his own TV show. He just loves to cook, and loves sharing what he's learned over the years. In his "real life," Lane has toured the world, bringing his special brand of Blues-infused Americana to millions of fans. At home he leads a quiet life filled with good books, good food and good friends.