Grilled Caribbean Chicken

Name: Grilled Caribbean Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 Whole Chicken* ((see notes)); 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt; 1/2 Lime; Fresh Cilantro, torn (for garnish); 1 teaspoon Turmeric; 1 teaspoon Cumin; 1 teaspoon Coriander; 1 teaspoon Cilantro; 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt; 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper; 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger; 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder; 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder; 1/2 teaspoon White Pepper; 1/2 teaspoon Ground Mustard

Take a trip to the Caribbean in your own home! There is so much diversity in Caribbean food. Our Grilled Caribbean Chicken takes elements from a few different islands to make this super delicious and flavorful meal. The seasoning combined with a simple technique to make the skin crispy and the meat juicy along with the smoky flavor of being grilled makes this a unique and amazing dish! Our kids devoured it! I know you will love this meal!

My wife and I absolutely love the Caribbean! What’s not to love? We love the beauty, the nice breeze, the water (we both SCUBA dive), and, of course, the amazing food! This Grilled Caribbean Chicken is something that reminded me of our honeymoon on Paradise Island. So much of the food was grilled. The smell was amazing! I wanted to capture the essence of the islands without being limited to just one style or cuisine. So I just added spices together that I know make food taste good.

Some of the spices may be a little out of the ordinary, but what’s the point of making the same food everyone else is, right? I was going to use a little nutmeg and allspice, but I decided to go a different direction. I’ll save those for another recipe. But the spice I use for my Grilled Caribbean Chicken make this so tasty and unique!

Spatchcocking the Chicken

Spatchcocking? What is that? That’s the fancy word used when you cut the chicken so that it lays flat, usually by cutting out the backbone. However . . . for this recipe and one other, I remove the breastbone instead. Here’s why I do that. I saw this done at this one restaurant and was curious. I came to find out that the chicken cooks faster and juicer.

If you compare 2 different chickens, one with the backbone cut out and the other with the breastbone cut out, on the one with the backbone cut out you will notice that the breasts and thighs are squished together and the drumsticks are covering the thighs. So I gave it a try. And sure enough, the chicken turned out much better. Some of the breast meat is exposed this way, but it quickly gets seared to hold the juices in.

To remove the bone, use a pair of kitchen shears and simply cut along the line between the 2 breasts. Cut on each side of the bone until it is removed.

Spatchcock Chicken — **Spatchcocked Chicken**

Grilling the Chicken

I have a grill with 4 different sections – a smoker, a charcoal section, a gas section, and a searing grill. Yes, I know, I know . . . what can I say? I love to grill! I prefer to use the charcoal grill, but I use the gas side for this because . . . well . . . I’ve burnt a few chickens in my day. My gas grill has 3 burners which makes cooking a whole bird easier.

Here’s some tips I’ve learned over the years, some through trial and error.

Gas Grill:

I heat the grill with all burners on and the lid closed (the thermometer is on the lid) to about 400-425º F. I turn the 2 end burners down to half way and the middle one all the way down. The reason for this is to prevent flare ups from the melting fat. These will burn the chicken, especially the skin which has all the seasoning. Every grill is different, so if you don’t have a similar setup, then turn the burners down and be more attentive during the grilling process.

Place the bird on the middle of the grill, skin-side up. Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes. This method cooks the chicken mostly using radiant heat like on oven. But it gives that nice smoky grilled flavor. This is not a time to ‘set it and forget it’. You need to keep an eye on it from time to time to make sure there are no flare ups. I’d recommend checking on it at least every 5 minutes. Also, keep an eye on the temperature, too, and make adjustments as needed.
After the 15 minutes is up, turn the chicken over and squeeze some lime juice on the chicken. Cook covered for another 15 minute. Turn the chicken over again to skin-side up and squeeze more lime juice on it. Using a meat thermometer, test the thighs and breasts. Chicken needs to be 165º F. Be sure to test the meat along the bone since that takes the longest to cook.
Cook for another 15 minutes, again with the lid shut. Turn the chicken over one more time and squeeze some lime juice on it again. Test the meat again. You most likely will need to cook it for another 15 minutes. Depending on the size of the chicken, you most likely will need to adjust your cooking time. You may need to cook it less than 15 minutes or you may need to add some time. Just keep flipping and testing until you hit the 165º mark.

Charcoal Grill:

I love the taste of charcoal grilled food. I found that I tend to overdo the charcoal, which is fine in most applications. But it is different when cooking a whole bird. Here’s how to do it successfully.

Heat your charcoal to one side of the grill. This will enable you to cook the chicken using radiant heat. Place the chicken right on the edge of the charcoal pile. This will help to get the skin crispy. Just try to avoid placing the bird completely over the charcoal. If you feel you can handle it over the charcoal, be my guest. It does taste better as long as it doesn’t get burnt.

Follow the instructions above under “Gas Grill.” Just adjust the positioning of the chicken in step #1.

Oven Cooking:

If you don’t have a grill or just don’t feel like grilling, You can definitely roast this in the oven.

Heat your oven to 450º F and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check the chicken every 15 minutes and squeeze lime juice each time you check it.

Give this Grilled Caribbean Chicken a try tonight! You and your family will love it!