It's grillin' time!!

Today I'm making Hatch Chile lime smoked chicken for @qurator's Hive Top Chef competition.
https://hive.blog/qurator/@qurator/qurators-hive-top-chef-or-grill-time

Let's do this!

Recipe

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 Hatch Chiles
• 1 Tblsp cumin
• 1 Tblsp Chile powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1tsp ground pepper
• 1 Tblsp oil
• Juice of 1-2 limes
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

First thing I'm going to do is roast my Hatch chilis. I'm going to use these later on the chicken but they need to char then steam a bit so the skin peels off.

While those are roasting let's get the marinade ready. I have about a tablespoon each of cumin and chili powder, a dash of black pepper and a dash of salt. I'll combine this in a bowl with the juice of one lime, about a tablespoon of cooking oil and some fresh chopped cilantro.

I have a2 1/2 lbs chicken and a beer for the chef ;)

Now back the the peppers and a quick lesson on fire-roasting peppers.

How to fire-roast peppers:

• Use direct flame if possible (if not you can roast under the broiler in your oven)
• Char on all sides
• Once charred place in a covered container for minimum five minutes. This step steams the peppers and makes it easier to remove the skin.
• Peel charred skin off with the edge of a knife, remove stem and seeds.
• DO NOT RINSE
• It may be tempting to rinse the peeled peppers but that just rinses most of that good char right down the drain, you may as well just buy the jar of roasted peppers at the store if you're going to rinse your homemade peppers :(
  

When I started cooking I was not sure how I wanted to use the Hatch Chiles, I just knew I wanted them in the dish. As I was peeling them and looking at the chicken I got the idea to put the roasted peppers under the skin so the meat could soak up all that flavor as the chicken cooked.

When I unwrapped the chicken I also cut the backbone out so the chicken could lay flat on the grill and cook a little faster.

I carefully peeled the skin from the meat then jammed slid the peppers under the skin. Then I flipped the bird over and poured my marinade on the other side and let it sit for about 10 minutes while I heat up the grill and get the hickory wood chunks smokin...

I used the burner on my grill to roast the chiles and to get the wood smoking.

Once the grill is hot I put the chicken on the top rack and the wood on the bottom, turned down the heat to medium-low and shut the lid.

The cooking time will vary depending on how hot your grill is so I'd just recommend using an instant-read thermometer if you have one. Best way to know if chicken is done. I also tried to do the dishes as the chicken cooked so I would not be stuck with a sink full of dirty dishes once I'm done eating.

OK, the chicken is cooked and it's time to eat!

Just look at that cute little roasted Hatch peeking out from under the skin. Mmmmmmmmm mmmmmm good!

Thanks for coming along with me as I cooked this meal. Have a great evening!