Grilled Half Chicken

Chicken on the grill can be great, crispy and moist at the same time; but more often than not, this can be difficult, resulting in chicken that is burnt on the outside and still raw in the center. The problem occurs because the fat in the skin melts and causes flare-up and also because chicken with bones takes longer to cook than burgers or steaks. Here are a few tips:Tip: Cover any bone-in chicken, breasts, quarters and halves, and put in the microwave for 2 minutes. The microwave cooks from the inside out and your grill or oven cook from the outside in. By itself, this will not cure the overall problem but combined with the next tip, it really helps. On your grill, make certain you have a high heat and low heat side. You will need to move the chicken from one to the other in order to get your perfect chicken.

Grilled Half-Chicken

1 half chicken
salt & pepper or favorite rub or BBQ Sauce (Marinating in your favorite Italian dressing is also a great option, adding 2 TB of Dijon mustard is even better!)
oil for the grill

Pre-heat grill with one side hot and the other medium.
Season the chicken or remove from marinade.
Oil the grate and place the chicken half or halves, skin side down, on the hotter section of the grill and cook until the skin starts to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Watch for flare-ups. Move to cooler side of grill and continue to grill until the skin is thoroughly browned, 5 to 7 minutes more. If flare-ups occur on either side, use tongs to move chicken away.
Turn the pieces over and move them back to the hotter side of the grill. Brown the second side for 3 to 5 minutes and then move to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. Total cooking time will be 16 to 24 minutes. The chicken is perfectly done at 165° or when the juices run clear when pierced.
If you are basting the chicken with oil or wine based marinade, you can do that throughout the cooking process. If it’s as sugar based marinade, begin brushing during the last 5 minutes of grilling.

Option for the chicken-hearted:

Use all the same ingredients and bake or broil in the oven!