Party Chicken

Time: a little over an hour. Ease: err... moderate

Otherwise known as Pollo Fiesta or simply, ghetto chicken.

I used to live in a ghetto. I loved it and I loved the food. My friends and I used to go after church to this rundown place in little Mexico, where we were the only white girls, and eat chicken to our heart's content. Sigh, even the picture with the jalapeno in the ranchero beans makes me all nostalgic. You would walk into the place and there was this grill that was about eight feet long, absolutely covered in bright orange chickens. When they came off the grill, crisp and greasy, you would eat them quartered with homemade tortillas slathered in guacamole, salsa and rice and beans. I would usually wash it down with horchata, but that's a different story for a different day.

The beauty of this recipe is that you really can make beautiful, moist, succulent chicken on your grill! And it doesn't take that long! And it's easy! It's a great summer recipe because you don't heat up the house to cook the chicken and, well, it's amazingly yummy. That too.

The recipe:

1 five lb whole chicken

4 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp cumin

2 Tbs BBQ seasoning (your choice which kind but I like Masterpiece)

2 tsp white pepper

2 tsp turmeric (it's what makes it orange!)

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

Tortillas

Guacamole

Okay, take the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels both inside and out. Gently pull the skin away from the meat (but not severing it entirely) and pat dry underneath. And now my favorite: place the bird firmly on the counter top, put your hands together like you're about to do CPR and MASH the ribcage! CRACK! Flatten it as much as you can. Make a paste of your spices and oil and massage it into both the meat under the skin and over the top of the skin (because, let's face it, after having it's ribcage cracked, it needs a massage). You might want to wear gloves because it will turn your fingers a little bit orange. Okay, it will actually make you look like you colored your fingertips orange with Magic Markers.

Turn your grill up to high and let it get as hot as it will. Bring the chicken and turn off ONE of the flames, this is the side you are going to place the chicken on. Because chicken renders so much fat as it cooks, if you place it directly over the flame it WILL drip and cause flare up and turn into the most precious little bit of blackened meat. I will go ahead and confess that I speak from experience.

Place the chicken over the now deadened flame with the breast side up and legs facing the opposing flame (I promise I am NOT being to detail oriented... these little details are the difference between drippy succulence and dry sawdust). Close the lid and let grill for 40 minutes. After the elapsed time, turn the chicken over breat side down with the legs still facing toward the flame. Let the chicken grill for another 20 minutes. Check for doneness by pressing on the chicken: if the juices run clear, it's all done; if they run reddish, it needs a little more time to cook.

Once the chicken has cooled, I love to eat it in a tortilla with whatever is good in a chicken taco. My personal favorite will always be just avocados with a little salt, chicken and a warm tortilla. Oh, and margarita on the side, but that's also another story for another day