Servings: 4 people
Calories: 350kcal
Equipment
- Charcoal Grill
- Cast iron pan
- Basting brush
- Large metal spatula
- Kitchen shears or sharp knife
Ingredients
Plum Rub (makes roughly 1 & 1/4 cup of rub)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup ground plum powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp Sriracha powder or substitute for cayenne powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp each of salt and pepper
Chicken
- 1 whole free-range chicken Spatchcock cut – Remove the back bone to be able to set it flat on the grill
- 1 orange zested
- ¼ cup of plum rub
Glaze
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp honey
- Half of the juice from zested orange
- 1 tbsp of the plum rub
Instructions
Plum Rub
- Combine all rub ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a fork, breaking up any clumps. Store in a jar with a lid to save for any other times you’d like to use this rub.
Chicken and Glaze
- Start by getting your grill preheated to 350 F. If you can, set the grill up for indirect grilling with your heat source to one side.
- Next, begin the process of Spatchcocking your chicken. This entails turning the chicken onto the breast side, and cutting the backbone off the chicken body. I like to use kitchen sheers for this, as it makes the job a bit easier and less chance of damaging the rest of the chicken body. Once the backbone is removed, flip the chicken back over and press down on the breast/chest plate and flatten the chicken out. Easy peasy!
- Next, zest half the orange onto the skin side of the chicken. Flip and do the same to the inside of the chicken. Using roughly 3 tbsp of the plum rub, dust over the inside of the chicken and rub it in. The oil from the orange zest will actually help the rub to stick to the chicken. Flip over and do the same to the skin side of the chicken. Let it rest while the grill comes to temperature.
- When the grill has come to temperature, place your plum rubbed chicken on the side away from direct heat. Let this cook here until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 140 F. Once 140 F is reached, flip the chicken over and place it skin side down on the hot side of the grill. Allow this to hang out for a couple of minutes. You don’t want to let it cook too long on the skin side over the coals as the high sugar content of the rub will actually burn. Keep an eye on it. You want char and color, not burnt and dry!
- While the chicken is cooking, get the basting liquid ready. Into a small cast iron pan, or small metal handled pot, add all of your basting ingredients and place it on the grill. Allow the butter to melt and have all the ingredients come together.
- Once your skin has crisped up and colored nicely, flip the chicken back over and place back on the indirect side of the grill. Using a basting brush, paint the liquid onto the skin and let it rest for a minute or two. Do it again and again until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 F.
- Once the Chicken reaches 160 F internally, remove from the grill and let it rest on a rimmed baking sheet for about 5 minutes. This will allow the chicken to redistribute the juices back around the meat and give you a perfect bird! Carve up how you like, and serve with any of the sides suggested!
Notes
This recipe works so well over the coals, but can easily be done with any other cooking style. Just remember, the rub and basting liquid has a high sugar content so don’t let it sit too long over the direct heat. Sugar will burn fast, so keep an eye on it!
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!