Whole Grilled Chicken With Lemon and Garlic

Absolutely divine. This recipe comes from Weber's Big Book of Grilling, which is our grill bible. Be sure when you truss the bird that you secure the cavity and the neck with a pin of some sort, otherwise the wine and lemon juice will just come right back out when you pour it in. Also, make sure your grill really is at a medium heat, otherwise the skin will char. The prep time listed here includes the time it takes to roast the garlic.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  head garlic
• 1  teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

• For the paste

•  lemon zest, from 2 lemons
• 2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

• For chicken

• 1  whole chicken, 4-5 lbs
•  kosher salt
•  black pepper, freshly ground
• 4  sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
• 1  lemon, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. To roast the garlic, remove papery outer sking from the head and cut about 1/2 inch off the top to expose the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and grill or bake at 350 until the cloves are soft (30-40 minutes).
2. To make the paste, squeeze the roasted garlic from the individual cloves into a small bowl. Add the lemon zest, 1 tablespoons of the lemon juice, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Remove and discuard the neck and giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Loosen the chicken skin gently with your fingers and spread half of the roasted garlic paste under the skin on the breast.
4. Season the inside of the chicken cavity with salt and pepper and add the rosemary sprigs. Truss the chicken with cotton string. Pour the remaining 1 tablespoons of lemon juice and the wine (carefully) into the cavity.
5. Coat the outside surface of the chicken with the other half of the paste, pressing it into the skin.
6. Grill the chicken, breast side up, over Indirect Medium heat until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees in the breast, about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Halfway through grilling, slide three lemon slices under the string on top of the breasts (optional).
7. Transfer the chicken to a platter, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing the string and carving. Serve warm.