Chicken under a Brick

A brick for grilling? From Bobby Flay's television show, Grill It! this is Butterflied Chicken with a Basil, Oregano and Red Wine glaze. On the show, Bobby has a guest griller and one ingredient is grilled two different ways. Bobby's guest on this show made a version of Beer Can Chicken - Bobby made this Italian spiced version. When I got to the store I found a small whole chicken, but I had the butcher "butterfly" cut it. That means the backbone is cut along the chicken so that it can open out as you can see in the photo. The butterfly cut makes it possible for you to grill the entire chicken right on the grates. Turning the bird over is also no problem - just flip the whole thing. I added the brick. It is just a brick left over from when the house was built that I wrapped in foil. Placing the brick right on the chicken flattens it out even more than the butterfly cut alone, and insures even heat and even cooking throughout. After turning the chicken for the last time, I brushed on the mixture of fresh basil, oregano, olive oil and red wine that I had chopped up in the processor. 


Buying a whole chicken is much cheaper than buying it in pieces. The butcher won't charge any extra for making the butterfly cut, so it is also a way to save a little money. I grilled this chicken for about four bucks and we will have leftovers. Legs and wings for the game later!


What to Drink? Since we were grilling up Italian spiced chicken, I wanted an Italian wine. Italy has hundreds of different grape variates, but for this meal I wanted a Sangiovese. This is the grape that makes Chianti and comes from Tuscany. At Tim's Premium Wine store I found a Sangiovese from Ecco Domani (which translates to "Here's Tomorrow"). Sangiovese is not overpowering or spicy. It is dry (which means "not sweet") so it goes well with food that is also not too spicy. This was a great match. 


Did you see Booby Flay this morning on the CBS Sunday Morning show? Here is the clip you should see for Valentine's Day:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6207446n&tag=related;photovideo


Valentine's Day is all about great matches. More about matches between people and between grilled food and wine to come.
Paul