Charcoal-baked chicken - a truly luxurious and festive dish. It can become the main decoration of the festive table. The unique aroma “with smoke”, a delicious crust and tender light meat - what else is needed for an excellent result?
There is a wide variety of chicken recipes on the grill. In our article we will consider the general principles of cooking, talk about pickling and the subtleties of baking.
Process features
Nutritionists believe that baking over hot coals is one of the best ways to heat treat foods. Of course, this method is inferior to steaming in terms of the preservation of useful components, but the taste of the finished dish is excellent.
People learned how to cook chicken on coals for a long time. We can say that this method is one of the oldest. Today it has not lost its relevance.
In the process of baking, the meat is steamed, it becomes very tender and soft. Unlike frying, this cooking method allows you to preserve the juiciness of the product, the chicken does not become dry. Another advantage is the lack of the need to additionally apply oil. On the contrary, excess fat is accumulated from the thighs of the bird.
Poultry selection and pre-training
Carefully inspect the carcass, remove feathers with tweezers, if any. With a thin thin knife, carefully cut the gland with the duct along with the duct. Rinse the carcass inside and out. If you do not plan to cut the bird during cooking, pay special attention to the neck: check if there is any trachea or goiter inside. To prevent the bird from flying off the spit, be sure to grind the carcass. Tie the ends of the legs together, make a knot over the tail, bring the ends of the rope under the breast, cross, tie around the carcass, holding wings to it. Tips the wings back to the shoulder joints.
Broiler chickens do not require preliminary marinating, their meat will be soft in any case. But most cooks prefer not to skip this step, because it allows you to nourish the meat with exquisite aromas. Try to choose a large bird weighing about 2 kg.
Another thing is poultry of meat breed. Before you cook chicken on coals, it must be kept in mineral water or kefir. It is better to cut the carcass into portions immediately so that the meat is baked enough.
But with the breeds of domestic layers, it is better not to get involved at all. The meat of such hens is much tougher, the bones are massive, there is almost no fat. The heat treatment process will take a long time. It is better to leave such meat for cooking broth or jelly.
Best Chicken Marinades
Of course, you can improvise by sending everything that is at hand to a container with a bird: mayonnaise, a little soy sauce, tomato pulp punctured in a blender, greens. However, if you decide to cook chicken on charcoal, recipes for successful marinades will come in handy in any case.
Sour milk mixed with tomato juice is great for chicken . This marinade not only speeds up the cooking process, but also gives the meat a magnificent golden hue.
If you like oriental notes in familiar recipes, combine in a container of 50 ml of teriyaki and soya sauces, add the chopped pulp of one orange along with the juice, your favorite spices. Rub the carcass with the mixture and leave for at least 3 hours. If desired, can be added to the marinade 1 tbsp. l liquid honey.
For those in a hurry, the best way can be an ordinary highly carbonated mineral water. Pour the pieces of the bird with water, add spices and make a fire. The time required to prepare a bonfire with burnt coals will be enough for the bird to marinate enough.
Acid marinades for chicken are not good. Vinegar spoils the taste of meat, dries it. But if you like spicy sourness, it is perfectly acceptable to sprinkle the carcass with lemon juice before baking.
Additional ingredients
When cooking chicken on charcoal, you can use vegetables. Country and tropical fruits, mushrooms will also be useful.
Cook chicken on charcoal in foil? Feel free to use onions, eggplant, zucchini, young carrots, bell pepper. If you chop potatoes with bricks and bake it with meat, you will also get a wonderful side dish - fragrant and juicy.
Berries and fruits go well with chicken. Cut the apple, pear into large pieces, add slices of orange, peeled from the films. Put the fruit inside the carcass and stab the skin with toothpicks so that they do not fall out when baking. The skin can not be cut, and the stalks and seeds must be removed immediately.
Whole or in pieces?
Is it worth it to chop the carcass right away, or can you do the cutting after the charcoal chicken is ready? Act on the basis of mood and available inventory.
On a large grid for grilling, you can cook the whole bird. Make an incision either along the spine or along the keel. If you cook several chickens at once for a large company, it will be convenient to cut the carcasses in half or quarters.
For cooking on skewers or skewers, it is more convenient to cut the meat immediately before baking.
Serving to the table
Charcoal grilled chickens are great for garnishes of potatoes, pasta, rice. It is customary to eat poultry meat with a fork and knife, but if the feast takes place in a relaxed picnic atmosphere, you can not adhere to strict etiquette rules. To take pieces is quite acceptable with your hands.
Be sure to serve seasonal vegetables salad, homemade pickles, pickled mushrooms or canned olives. Do not forget about sauces!