Have you tried a whole grilled chicken? It's a low carber's summer dream come true – and much easier than it might sound!
Disclosure: This recipe was adapted from The Ultimate Book of Barbecue which I received from Parragon Books free of charge in exchange for my fair and honest review. Please see my disclosure policy. The following post also contains affiliate links.
When I moved to the US in 2009 I had hardly cooked anything on a grill or barbecue. And it wasn't until 2015 that I had access to one! I've learned a lot since then but one of the big surprises is how many foods can be cooked this way – check out all my low carb grilling recipes! 
I quickly marked several recipes to try but one really stood out for me – cooking a whole chicken on the grill. I just had to try it!
How to Cook a Whole Grilled Chicken
Remove the backbone to spatchcock / butterfly the chicken. If you've not done this before then there's a great tutorial on YouTube. Make a simple herb butter by combining softened butter with fresh oregano leaves, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Separate the skin from the breast meat by gently sliding your fingers between the two. Fill this area with half of the butter, then spread the rest over the skin on the outside.
Place the chicken on a preheated grill over indirect heat (eg the burners directly below the chicken should be turned off, while the outer burners surrounding it should remain on.
Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken's internal temperature reaches 165F – use a meat thermometer to check. Rotate the chicken as needed to obtain even coloring.
The chicken skin got a bit blackened in a few areas but otherwise it was beautifully cooked. And it tasted fantastic!
To go with the chicken I searched the barbecue book for other ideas – and although it isn't a low carb recipe book, so many ideas are suitable or just need minimal changes. I decided to try the creamed spinach because it also included celeriac (celery root) which I love and rarely remember to cook. Oh, and it included bacon!
You can find my low carb version of this recipe here!
Update – I also adapted the Grilled Caesar-Marinated Chicken Thighs recipe from the book – SO good!
Whole Grilled Chicken
A whole grilled chicken is a low carber's summer dream come true!
Ingredients
- 1 (4 oz) stick butter, softened
- 2 tbs chopped fresh oregano leaves
- zest from one lemon
- salt and black pepper
- 4 lb whole fresh chicken, backbone removed
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-high (400 degrees F) and lightly oil the grates.
- Make the herb butter by combining softened butter with the oregano, zest, salt and pepper.
- Separate the skin from the breast meat of the chicken by gently sliding your fingers between the two. Fill this area with half of the butter, then spread the rest over the skin on the outside.
- Place the chicken over indirect heat (eg the burners directly below the chicken should be turned off, while the outer burners surrounding it should remain on.
- Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken's internal temperature reaches 165F - use a meat thermometer to check. Rotate the chicken as needed to obtain even coloring.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Notes
See link in main post for a tutorial on how to remove the backbone of the chicken.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size Quarter of the chickenAmount Per Serving Calories 1202Total Fat 82gSaturated Fat 31gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 43gCholesterol 487mgSodium 649mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 109g
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is my best approximation. I cannot guarantee completely accurate data due to variations in ingredients and cooking methods. Carbohydrates from sugar alcohols are not included in net carb counts as it has been shown that they do not impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.