I occasionally get the guilts and do some chicken. In this case, I used my komado, but it still applies if you want to use RT smoker or the Bullseye.
Too often, chicken gets boring from bland flavor, especially the breast, but even the thick sections of the thighs. You can only do so much with applying flavor to the surface, even if you put them under the skin. So, I wanted to do something a bit different for me.
I spatchcocked a whole chicken, as usual. It happed to be a chicken-zilla, at 5 lbs.
I put about 8 oz of chicken stock in a saucepan and heated. Into the stock went a few tablespoons of RT Freakin Greek Rub and about half a stick of butter ( I used unsalted Irish butter). I brought the broth mix to a boil and then cooled it to about 120F, hot enough so the butter wouldn't congeal, but cool enough to work with. Then I strained the mix to get the leafy and chunky herbs and spices out, so it would pass through my injector needle.
This is where I did something new. I injected the breasts with the strained mixture. My wife is the one that generally gets the thighs, so I didn't inject them.
I put the spatched bird on at about 350F along with a small chunk of cherry wood. Meanwhile, I took the strained herbs and dumped them back in the saucepan and added half a stick of butter and melted it to baste the skin with. The temperature crept up to about 400F and back down to about 375 during the 1 hour plus cook. I cooked it until it was about 165 in the breasts.
I pulled it out and I thought we were going to eat it right off. But my wife had to leave. So, I refrigerated it til dinner. It was in a half restaurant tray, so for dinner, I simply put it in the oven about half way down and turned on the broiler until it browned the skin more and felt crisp again. Ok, so now, I've done everything I could to dry out the bird, this side of using a dehydrator.
When I cut into my piece of breast, I could see juices flowing all over. The flavor was incredible. My wife said the thighs were "good". So, I offered her a big bite of breast. She usually declines, because she hates dry and bland breast. But I pushed the point. So she tried it. She said it was better flavored and at least as juicey as the thigh.
I think my wife will want me to inject the thighs on the next bird.
Too often, chicken gets boring from bland flavor, especially the breast, but even the thick sections of the thighs. You can only do so much with applying flavor to the surface, even if you put them under the skin. So, I wanted to do something a bit different for me.
I spatchcocked a whole chicken, as usual. It happed to be a chicken-zilla, at 5 lbs.
I put about 8 oz of chicken stock in a saucepan and heated. Into the stock went a few tablespoons of RT Freakin Greek Rub and about half a stick of butter ( I used unsalted Irish butter). I brought the broth mix to a boil and then cooled it to about 120F, hot enough so the butter wouldn't congeal, but cool enough to work with. Then I strained the mix to get the leafy and chunky herbs and spices out, so it would pass through my injector needle.
This is where I did something new. I injected the breasts with the strained mixture. My wife is the one that generally gets the thighs, so I didn't inject them.
I put the spatched bird on at about 350F along with a small chunk of cherry wood. Meanwhile, I took the strained herbs and dumped them back in the saucepan and added half a stick of butter and melted it to baste the skin with. The temperature crept up to about 400F and back down to about 375 during the 1 hour plus cook. I cooked it until it was about 165 in the breasts.
I pulled it out and I thought we were going to eat it right off. But my wife had to leave. So, I refrigerated it til dinner. It was in a half restaurant tray, so for dinner, I simply put it in the oven about half way down and turned on the broiler until it browned the skin more and felt crisp again. Ok, so now, I've done everything I could to dry out the bird, this side of using a dehydrator.
When I cut into my piece of breast, I could see juices flowing all over. The flavor was incredible. My wife said the thighs were "good". So, I offered her a big bite of breast. She usually declines, because she hates dry and bland breast. But I pushed the point. So she tried it. She said it was better flavored and at least as juicey as the thigh.
I think my wife will want me to inject the thighs on the next bird.
Last edited:
