By The Fourth of July passed quietly, as it does out here. We are too rural for town fireworks to be visible and too old for the state fair, and the holiday now means: potato salad, and the grill, and the porch in the evening watching the fireflies that have no idea it is a holiday and are performing their usual show, which is better than any fireworks I have seen.
I grilled chicken — the backbone removed, flattened, rubbed with paprika and garlic and the dried herbs from last year's garden (Helen dries them every August and hangs them in the pantry, and by July they are still good, better than the bottles from the grocery store). High heat on one side, then covered on the other. Thirty minutes. The skin was correct. Helen made the potato salad with her mother's recipe: Yukon Golds, boiled whole, cooled and sliced, dressed with cider vinegar first while still warm, then mayonnaise and celery and dill. The vinegar-first step is the one most people skip. It is the step that makes it taste the way it should.
We ate on the porch. David and Karen came with the children in the afternoon for a few hours — Teddy had a friend's party earlier that day but came for dinner, which I took as a compliment to the chicken. James is three and has entered the age of very specific requests and opinions. He wanted to see "the syrup house," which is his name for the sugarhouse, and which I find charming. I took him. He looked at the evaporator for a while. He said, "It smells like pancakes." It does, slightly, even in July. He has a good nose. Good noses run in this family.
The fireflies that evening were extraordinary. The whole field lit up at intervals. Lucy, not quite two and a half, stood at the porch rail with wide eyes and said "lights, lights" and pointed at each one. I said yes. That is all you need to say about fireflies. Lights. Lights.
Picnic Chicken is the recipe I keep coming back to when the occasion calls for something that feels festive without requiring a fuss — and a holiday that ends with fireflies and a three-year-old calling the sugarhouse a “syrup house” is exactly that kind of occasion. The paprika, the high heat, the simplicity of it: that is the whole point. If Teddy is going to leave a friend’s party to come eat your chicken, the chicken had better be worth it. This one is.
Picnic Chicken
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 lbs), backbone removed and flattened (spatchcocked)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Press the chicken flat with the heel of your hand until you hear the breastbone crack. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Make the rub. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and cayenne if using. Mix into a paste.
- Season. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken, including under the skin over the breast meat. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while the grill heats.
- Grill on high heat. Preheat one side of the grill to high (about 450°F). Place chicken skin-side down over direct heat. Grill uncovered for 8–10 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and releases cleanly from the grates.
- Finish covered over indirect heat. Flip the chicken and move to the cooler side of the grill. Cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
- Rest and carve. Transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before carving. The skin should be crisp and the juices should run clear.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 480mg