Chicken on the Rotisserie
One of the best BBQ accessories I have ever bought is the Rotisserie for my Weber GBS. It is expensive, but the cooks you can easily produce really make it worthwhile. Regardless of which BBQ’s I own in the future; it will NEED to have a Rotisserie attachment.
Cooking a whole chicken on the Rotisserie is a pretty regular thing for me. I frequently do it for a Sunday Roast, but I decided to do one midweek, and use some Middle-Eastern / Northern African inspired flavours.
Preparation and the Cook
After mixing all the marinade ingredients together, I poured them over the chicken before putting it in the fridge for 8 hours.
I set the Weber GBS up in the normal way. I placed my ash baskets to each side of the BBQ, so the Rotisserie spit would sit over an indirect zone where I placed a foil tray. The foil tray will stop fat dripping into your BBQ bowl, but if you are doing a Sunday roast any fat dripping can be added to your gravy – it adds great flavour.
I usually aim to get the BBQ in the 180-200°C range before starting the cook. Just before I add the spit, I place 3-4 wood chunks on the coals to generate some extra smokiness.
The time the chicken takes varies but I don’t take off until the internal temperature hits 75°C in the breast. Once off the BBQ, I’ll remove it from the spit (usually burning my fingers) and wrap the chicken in foil for 15-20 minutes to let it rest.
The Verdict
The great thing about cooking on a Rotisserie is it never fails to produce a great cook. This was no exception. The chicken always comes out so tender and juicy. I also really liked the flavour on this one. There was a nice hint of spice but it was just at the right level.
I also served this with Saffron Yogurt which complimented it so well.
What I am going to try next time is the same marinade (and Saffron Yogurt) but on chicken thighs cooked on the Rotisserie and served in flatbreads.
Harissa Rose Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken
- 2 tbsp Harissa Rose
- 1 tbsp Sumac
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Lemon Extract
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 30 ml Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and stir well.
- Make some cuts in the chicken and pour over the marinade, rubbing it in as you go. I would wear food gloves got this – it's messy!
- Place the chicken in the fridge for 8 hours (or overnight).
- Set up your BBQ for indirect cooking, with the charcoal baskets pushed to each side. Once it is ready to cook (180°C) add the chicken to the spit and place on the BBQ. Put a foil tray directly under the chicken to prevent any fat from dripping into the BBQ bowl.
- Add 3-4 wood chunks and then cook the chicken until the internal temperature is 75°C (in the breast).
- Remove from the BBQ and take the chicken off the spit, and wrap it tightly in foil for 15-20 mins.
- Whilst your chicken is resting, prepare your side dishes. We just had this with Tilda Basmati & Quinoa Rice (lazy I know) and Saffron Yogurt.
