Mustard, thyme and ginger spatchcock chicken recipe

By Debbie Major

Serves 4
Takes 10 minutes to make and about 50 minutes to barbecue, plus 1-3 hours’ marinating and 5 minutes’ resting
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Try something new, like this spatchcock chicken recipe, and enjoy your best-ever barbecue. All you need is for the sun to come out...

1. First you need to spatchcock the chicken; put on a chopping board, breast-side down, and cut along either side of the back bone with kitchen scissors. Open up the chicken, turn it over and press firmly along the breast-bone until it is lying flat. Put into a large shallow dish. Mix together the lemon juice, thyme and oil, pour over the chicken and turn to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 1-3 hours to marinate.
2. If using a charcoal barbecue, light about 30 minutes before you want to cook. For a gas barbecue, preheat 10 minutes beforehand.
3. Mix the glaze ingredients together and season to taste. Set aside.
4. Push the coals to either side of the grate for indirect cooking or turn off the middle burner. Lift the chicken from the marinade, season and brush the underside with the glaze. Place on the barbecue, glazed-side down, cover with the lid and cook over a medium heat for 25 minutes – brush towards the end of this cooking time with more glaze. Carefully turn the chicken over, brush with more glaze and cook for a further 25 minutes, until the juices run clear from the thickest part of the thigh and the skin is golden.
5. Lift onto a board, cover and rest for 5 minutes.
6. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with lemon wedges, boiled new potatoes and a crisp green salad.