Rotisserie Grilled Chicken

This is a great way to cook in the warmer months. Keep the kitchen cooler.

Whole chicken
spices

A grill with a rotisserie motor
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Rinse your chicken and impale on the rotis bar. Grill on rotisserie for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature registers 160F* in the thigh, not touching bone or metal.

If you don't have a grill with a rotis feature, I'm really sorry. :( After having one, I'd never buy another grill without one!! Grills don't last forever, so when yours dies, splurge a teeny bit and get one that has the rotisserie. You'll never regret it!!

For a GREAT selection of spice mixes, check my favorite place... http://www.penzeys.com/

Washed and ready to grill!

Get the hardware in place, but don't screw down the grippers till you center the bird on the grill in front of the rotis burner.

Once I've got the chicken on the grill, I skewer the grippers carefully so that I grip each leg with a stake to hold them as they go around. As it cooks, the joints get loose. If you don't hold the legs up, they'll drop lower as they go along and flop around. You don't want them dragging over the dirty grill bottom. They may also burn as they'd be the thinnest place exposed to the heat. Once nicely skewered.. I fold the wings back, like you would for a Thanksgiving Day turkey. They would also flop around if you didn't secure them. They don't need to be skewered though. Folding them will be sufficient. And yes, those are the chicken livers in the pan under the chicken. I lay them in the pan (where I catch the drippings so they don't yuk up the grill). Those are MINE! Chef's prize. :)

This is my choice of spices today. Penzey's Bicentennial Rub. I mix it up and change the spice mix frequently. This is one of my favorites. Check out their website. I've put the link above in the recipe directions.

Spread it all around as the chicken goes round and round. The chicken is slightly damp from it's earlier bath, so it sticks nicely. No need for oil or butter.

All ready to go. Rotisserie is on high, for those you can adjust. Close the lid and go away for an hour. :) I LIKE this kind of cooking!! Taking a peek after one hour. I also check the temperature. 120 degrees. Needs more time. Aiming for 160F*.

90 minutes. 140 degrees. A little longer...

1 hour 45 minutes. 160 degrees. This was a nice large hen, and still slightly frozen inside. So do check yours after it hits that first hour to see how the temperature is progressing. Going a bit over the 160 degrees really isn't a problem on the rotis. The turning motion keeps the juices in the bird and doesn't allow them to just fall to the pan like in the oven. Better a little over 160 degrees than under.

Remove rotisserie hardware and allow the bird to sit for 5-10 minutes while you get the side dishes on the table. This allows the juices to settle into the meat so they don't just run out at your very first cut. Come, sit, enjoy! Rotisserie chicken with a side of green bans, bread and butter, and Jonathan's special noodles. You'll find the recipe for that on another note. 

Crispy skin all around! What more could you want?