Grilled Chicken and Zucchini Fries

Chicken is one of my favorite things to grill, and I always prefer to cook either a half chicken or a whole chicken spatchcocked.  For those unfamiliar with a spatchcocked chicken, it is a whole chicken with the backbone cut out and then pressed flat.  Pictured below is a half chicken with the backbone removed and then cut once again between the breasts.  I prefer cooking this type of chicken because you are able to yield white and dark meat or the breast, thigh, drum stick, and wing. 

 

Ingredients:

• Half a chicken seasoned with lemon pepper and thyme
• Fresh broccoli
• Fresh zucchini
• 2 eggs
• Italian bread crumbs
• Parmesan
• Honey Mustard Sauce: Dijon mustard, bacon bits, honey, olive oil, 1 tbl spoon butter, balsamic vinegar

 

Step 1: Prep the grill and season the chicken.  To make Zucchini fries cut one large zucchini into thin strips.  I cut the top and bottom off a large zucchini and then cut it in half.  I then cut each half into 6 or 7 thin strips.  Next dip each strip in the egg mixture and transfer to a dish with Italian bread crumbs.  Cover each strip with bread crumbs and transfer to a pan.  I used a cookie rack in the pan so I didn't need to flip the zucchini while cooking.  Place the zucchini in an oven heated to 425 for 30 minutes.  With 5 minutes to go, remove and cover each fry with parmesan cheese.  Allow this to melt for the last 5 minutes. 

 

Step 2: Cook the chicken.  I have my weber set up the same way I usually do, half direct heat separated by fire bricks with the other half indirect.  I like to cook my chicken over direct heat to begin with to create a nice char on both sides.  Once you have the char you desire move the chicken over to the indirect side to allow the inside to cook throughout.

 



 

 

 

Step 3: Steam the broccoli and make the honey mustard sauce. 

 



 

In a small saucepan combine 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, one table spoon of butter, honey, bacon bits, olive oil, and a little balsamic vinegar.  Stir over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes until everything cooks together.  Sauce with thicken and separate a bit upon standing.

 



 

 

Step 4: Once the chicken is cooked I will remove it from the grill.  Notice I placed it on a dish with some of the honey mustard sauce as board dressing.  This allows the sauce to coat the chicken as I slice it for serving.  The remaining sauce is reserved for dipping or topping the chicken.

 



 

Step 5: Plate and enjoy. 

 



 

The zucchini fries turned out crispy and delicious with the parmesan.  The board dressing and sauce on top of the chicken added just the right amount of finishing flavor, and the steamed broccoli was the perfect amount of green.  This was an excellent dinner!