Tasting Notes

This dinner serves six and is spectacular. BBQ chicken done to perfection, with great flavour permeating the meat from the marinade. The pork sausages as is the case with the chicken – touched with a great char, smoky taste. The veggies are fresh and vibrant, the Orzo delicious and the salad fresh and bright.

What You Need

1 chicken anywhere from 3½ to 4 pounds.

4 lemons.

⅓ cup honey.

2 teaspoons dried oregano.

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes.

¼ teaspoon black pepper.

4 teaspoons salt.

6 regular pork sausages.

 1 1/2 cup of Orzo.

1 pound of asparagus.

1 pound of small bell peppers, different colours.

1 pound green beans.

1/2 cup of frozen peas.

3 large tomatoes.

2 medium-sized cucumbers.

1 small red onion.

7 tablespoons of olive oil. 

1 cup parsley.

Method

24 hours before cooking the chicken – spatchcock it.

This means you will be cutting out the spine of the chicken with heavy duty kitchen shears. 

The process is as follows:

Lay the chicken breast side down.

Then with your scissors – cut along both sides of the spine and remove it.

Now open up the chicken, flipping it with breast up. With the palm of your hand press down hard on the breast until the cartilage cracks and the chicken lies flat.

With a sharp knife make incisions about 1 inch deep  – 12 of them – all over the chicken.

Use two teaspoon of the salt and rub all over the chicken.

In a small bowl, mix the juice of 2 lemons with the honey, oregano, red pepper flakes. 

Now take a large zip lock bag and add the chicken, then pour 1/3 of the marinade into the bag. Now put the bag into refrigerator, moving the chicken inside around several times over the 24-hour period.

Save the rest of the marinade for grilling the chicken.

You also can cook your Orzo the day before.

Take your Orzo and place in slow boiling water cooking for eight to nine minutes.

When done, set aside and add two tablespoons of olive oil, mix and add salt and pepper to taste.  

Now take your frozen peas and cook in boiling water for two minutes, drain and then add the Orzo.

Make your salad before cooking your chicken and sausages.

In a large bowl add your beans, your peppers that have been halved and the inner membranes removed, and the asparagus with the woody stems snapped off. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil over everything, and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and set aside.

Partially peel your cucumbers, leaving two stripes. Then cut them up into medium-sized slices and place into a medium bowl, cut up your tomatoes into quarters, and your onion into thin slices, add to the bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl add 3 tablespoons of your olive oil and the juice from one lemon, add salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Once done add to bowl where the tomatoes, cucumbers and onions are in. Mix well and place in refrigerator till ready to serve.

Two hours before cooking the chicken, take it out of the refrigerator. Discard all the marinade.

Place the bird on the BBQ grill, breast side down, with the temperature at 375 degrees.

Watch your chicken like a hawk for the first few minutes and flip the bird if the skin starts to char. When the chicken is lightly colored, or after 10 minutes, flip it over and baste with the reserved marinade. Close the lid on the grill and cook for 30 to to 40 minutes. But check the chicken every three minutes to make sure it is not burning.

At the 20 minute mark add your pork sausages, and the peppers, green beans and asparagus. Turn everything over every once in a while.

Make sure you baste the chicken with the reserved marinade every 10 minutes and turning it over.

Your chicken, sausages, peppers, asparagus and green beans, all will be done at the same time. Turn off the BBQ heat and close the lid, letting the chicken, the sausages and the veggies rest for about 7 minutes.

You are now ready to plate.

Put the chicken and sausages on a big platter, and one for each of the veggies and the Orzo (chop the parsley and add and mix into the Orzo). Cut your one lemon in half and squeeze one half over the chicken, the other half over the veggies.

Carve the chicken table side.

Super Delicioso.