Grilled Herbed Chicken
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp. cooking oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. snipped fresh parsley
1 tbsp. snipped fresh rosemary plus 2 sprigs fresh rosemary,
OR 2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed, divided
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (3 to 3 1/2-lb.) whole broiler-fryer chickens
1/4 cup apple jelly
For sauce, in a small bowl combine wine, oil, lemon juice,
parsley,the 1 tbsp. snipped fresh rosemary OR 1 tsp. of the dried
rosemary, the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, celery seed and
pepper. Set aside.
Remove the necks and giblets from chickens. Rub additional salt and
the remaining dried rosemary inside the body cavities (or place
rosemary sprigs in birds). Skewer the neck skin to the backs.
To mount one chicken on a spit rod, place one holding fork on rod,
tines toward point. Insert rod through chicken cavity, pressing
tines of holding fork firmly into breast meat.
To tie wings, slip a 30-in. piece of 100% cotton string under back
of chicken; bring ends of string to front, looping around each wing
tip. Tie in center of breast, leaving equal string ends.
To tie legs, slip a 24-in. piece of string under tail. Loop
stringaround tail, then around crossed legs. Tie tightly to hold
bird securely on spit, again leaving string ends.
Pull together the strings attached to wings and legs; tie tightly.
Place the second chicken on spit rod so that the tails of both birds
meet. Tie second chicken as for first. Place the second holding fork
on rod, tines toward the chicken; press tines of holding fork firmly
into breast meat. Adjust forks and tighten screws. Test the balance,
making adjustments as necessary.
For a charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around a drip pan.
Test for medium heat above the pan. Attach spit; turn on the motor
and lower the grill hood. Let the chickens rotate over drip pan for
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until chickens are no longer pink and
drumsticks move easily, brushing every 15 minutes with sauce during
the first 45 minutes of grilling.
[For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for
indirect cooking. Grill as above.]
Add jelly to the remaining sauce; stir vigorously until smooth.
Brush chickens
occasionally with jelly sauce up to the last 15 minutes of grilling.
(Do not baste during the last 15 minutes, so that all raw chicken
cooties are killed off!)
To serve, remove chickens from spit. Cover with foil; let stand for
10 minutes before carving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings. |