Barbecued whole chicken
“The sight of mouthwatering charcoal-grilled barbecued chicken is common in Palestine. On sunny days, every household begins barbecuing whole chickens marinated in beautiful local flavors. At the same time, in every town, there is at least one restaurant renowned for its barbecued chicken. In Bethlehem, it is Qabar restaurant in Beit Jala. It was established in 1974 and is still one of the most popular places. I grew up going there to pick up some chicken to bring home to enjoy with bread and a simple salad.” - Fadi Kattan
SERVES 4
80ml / ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
60ml / ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground sumac
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teasp ground allspice
Peel of 1 white or black loumi (dried lime), grated with a Microplane
1 whole chicken, about 1½ kg spatchcocked
To finish
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green chilli, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground sumac
In a large nonreactive bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, sumac, red pepper flakes, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, and grated loumi. Add the chicken and rub the mix all over it. If you don’t plan to barbecue immediately, cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
To barbecue on a charcoal or gas grill, prepare the grill with a hot zone and a cooler zone. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cooler side, with the legs facing the hotter side. Cover the grill and cook until the chicken is mostly done, 40 to 45 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and place it on the hotter side of the grill, skin side down, to crisp the skin and finish cooking the chicken, another 10 to 15 minutes. It should take 50 to 60 minutes total.
To cook in the oven, preheat the oven to 220°C. Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.
Put the chicken in the skillet, skin side up. Sear for about 4 minutes, then flip the chicken over. Sear on the second side for about 4 minutes. Continue flipping the chicken until you have charred the skin.
Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, skin side up, add a drizzle of olive oil, and roast for another 25 to 30 minutes, to fully cook through.
Remove from the heat of the grill or oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together the garlic, chilli, olive oil, lemon juice, and sumac. Drizzle over the chicken, cut into pieces, and serve.
Images and text from Bethlehem, A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Fadi Kattan, 📷 Lima. Hardie Grant Books RRP $65.
