Grilled spatchcock in garlic and yoghurt
“Transport yourself to the Aegean with this robust recipe.”
- 4 whole spatchcock
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 tsp dried Greek oregano (or regular oregano)
- juice of a lemon
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups Greek yoghurt
Traditional Greek food is very simple. It relies on really fresh, quality ingredients such as nuts, honey, fish and seafood, sheep and goat cheeses, vegetables, lamb, chicken and game, herbs and wild greens. Wonderful, robust flavours.
Method
Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut along both sides of the spine to remove the spine and neck bone. Flatten out the bird and use your fingers to gently pull the breast bone and rib cage from the flesh. (You can leave this intact -cooking the chicken entirely on the bone is tastier - but it is quite fiddly to eat.)
Combine all the other ingredients except the yoghurt for the marinade and rub into the spatchcock.
Leave to marinate for 2 hours.
Cook the spatchcock, skin-side-down first, over a hot grill, seasoning with salt and pepper, and reserving the marinade.
The spatchcock is cooked in about 15 minutes. To test, pierce the thigh with a knife: if the juices run clear, it's done. Set aside on a warm, covered plate.Cook leftover marinade for 3 minutes in a pan, remove from heat and stir in yoghurt.
Pour over chicken and serve.