Chicken Alla Griglia

A low-effort, high-reward roast chicken for dinner… for people with foresight.

We don’t make this roast chicken nearly as often as we should, because it takes 2 steps of pre-planning. If I start something a day or two in advance, I’m obviously locked into eating it. And I never know what I’ll be craving in two days! Truly first world problems.

The only times I actually put thought ahead of time into a menu are when I cook for other people, and this chicken happens to be super perfect for entertaining. Logistically, the recipe requires almost no effort on the day of the event and scales very easily. And it’s just so impressively juicy and flavorful for how little work it actually is. The grill is probably the best way to cook it, but the oven works just fine.

People always ask for this recipe (this time included!), so here it is.

Chicken Alla Griglia (Alla Andrew Carmellini)

Preplanning Part 1: Roast garlic

1. Rub whole garlic bulbs with a tiny bit of oil, and wrap tightly in foil (individually or 3-4 in one pack, depending on how lazy you are).

   • Roast as many as you want (at least 2 for this recipe) - they last a while in the fridge and are good in so many things, so you might as well do a lot.

2. Roast in a 350-400F oven for 1-2 hours, until soft and caramelized.

Garlic, could have roasted longer tbh

Chicken in a bag, always yum

I also lack foresight in photos for the blog

Preplanning Part 2: Marinate Chickens

1. Mix together in bowl:

   • 1/4 cup roasted garlic puree

   • 1/2 cup rice vinegar

   • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

   • 1/4 cup neutral oil

   • 2 Tbsp dried oregano, chopped finely

   • 2 Tbsp dried rosemary, chopped finely

   • 1 lemon, sliced thin

   • 2 Tbsp salt

   • 1 tsp black pepper

   • 1 Tbsp sugar

2. Pour marinade over chicken pieces in two gallon-sized freezer bags

   • This marinade batch is enough for the equivalent of 2 spatchcocked chickens (this time we used 8 chicken quarters)

3. Marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours.

   • Put a tray under the bags in case the liquid spills

   • Flip the bags halfway through marinating time

Day-Of Cooking

1. Gently shake off excess marinade (don’t worry about brushing off the herbs).

2. Place chicken skin-side up on a sheet-tray. Throw the lemon slices on the tray (underneath or around the chicken) if ya feel like it.

3. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the skin starts to char.

4. Roast at 425F until done cooking, about 15-20 more minutes.

5. Optional: Make a gravy with the drippings - dump the liquid in a pan, add a cornstarch slurry, and bring to a boil.

So flavorful. So juicy. So easy. As long as you plan ahead. Which I am not good at.

Notes:

• Recipe from Urban Italian

• If you’re going to do this, you might as well make two chickens at a time, even for yourself. It’s great the next day reheated, or you can repurpose the leftovers for sandwiches, chicken salad, etc.

• Roasting garlic is probably the bigger deterrent for making this, versus marinating. Just throw garlic in the oven to roast when you already have the oven on for something else. You’ll have roasted garlic at the ready and can then make this whenever you want.

• Serve with roasted veggies, and/or a pasta on the side - like our other go-to recipe from this book.