Chicken on coals: the secrets of cooking

Baked on charcoal chicken - the dish is really luxurious and festive. It can become the main decoration of the festive table. Unique aroma "with a smoke", an appetizing crust and tender light meat - what else is needed for an excellent result?

There is a wide variety of recipes for cooking chicken on the grill. In this article we will consider the general principles of cooking, let's talk about pickling and the subtleties of baking.

Process Features

Nutritionists believe that baking over hot coals is one of the best ways to heat food products. Of course, this method is inferior to boiling for a couple in terms of safety of useful components, but the taste of the prepared dish turns out to be excellent.

Chicken on charcoal, people learned to cook for a long time. We can say that this method is one of the oldest. Today, it has not lost its relevance.

During the baking process, the meat is steamed, it becomes very gentle and soft. Unlike roasting, this method of cooking allows you to preserve the juiciness of the product, the chicken does not become dry. Another advantage - no need to additionally apply oil. On the contrary, extra fat is thawed from the thighs of the bird.

Poultry selection and pre-training

Inspect the carcass carefully, remove the feathers with tweezers, if any. Using a sharp knife, gently cut the iron from the rump along with the duct. Rinse the carcass outside and inside. If you do not plan to cut the bird while cooking, especially pay attention to the neck: check if there is any left inside the trachea or goiter. To the bird does not fly off the spit, be sure to popmetuvayte carcass. Tie the ends of the legs together, make a bundle over the tail, lead out the ends of the rope under the breast, cross over, tie around the carcass, pressing its wings. Tip the wings back to the shoulder joints.

Broiler chickens do not require preliminary marinating, their meat in any case will be soft. But most cooks prefer not to skip this step, because it allows you to nourish the meat with exquisite flavors. Try to choose a large bird, weighing about 2 kg.

Another thing - poultry meat breed. Before you cook the chicken on the coals, it must be kept in mineral water or kefir. The carcass is better at once cut into small portions so that the meat is sufficiently cooked.

But with the breeds of domestic layers it is better not to mess with anything at all. The meat of these chickens is much more rigid, the bones are massive, there is almost no fat. The process of heat treatment will take a long time. It is better to leave such meat for cooking broth or chill.

The best marinades for chicken

Of course, you can improvise by sending everything that is at hand into the bird's canister: mayonnaise, a little soy sauce, tomato pulp, blubbered in a blender, greens. However, if you decide to cook chicken on charcoal, recipes for successful marinades will be useful for you anyway.

For chicken meat is excellent suited curdled milk, mixed with tomato juice. This marinade not only speeds up the cooking process, but also gives the meat a magnificent golden hue.

If you like oriental notes in the usual recipes, combine 50 ml teriyaki and soy sauces in a container, add to them the crushed pulp of one orange along with the juice, your favorite spices. Rub with a mixture of carcass and leave for at least 3 hours. If desired, you can add 1 tbsp. L. Liquid honey.

For those who are in a hurry, the best means can be a usual highly aerated mineral water. Pour the pieces of the bird with water, add the spices and stir the fire. The time needed to prepare a fire with burnt coals will be enough to make the bird sufficiently promarinovalis.

Acid marinades for chicken are not suitable. Vinegar spoils the taste of meat, dries it. But if you like piquant sourness, it is perfectly permissible to sprinkle the carcass with lemon juice before baking.

Additional Ingredients

When cooking chicken on charcoal, you can use vegetables. Dacha and tropical fruits, mushrooms will also be useful.

Prepare the chicken on charcoal in foil? Feel free to use onion, eggplant, zucchini, young carrots, bell peppers. If you cut potatoes with small blocks and bake it with meat, get a nice side dish - fragrant and juicy.

Well combined with chicken meat, berries and fruits. Cut large apples, pear, add orange slices, peeled off the films. Put the fruit inside the carcase and chop the skin with toothpicks so that they do not fall out when baking. The skin can not be cut, and the stems and seeds must be removed immediately.

Whole or slices?

Is it worth it to cut the carcass at once, or can you cut it off after the chicken on the coals is ready? Do it based on the mood and available inventory.

On a large grid for grilling you can cook a bird entirely. Make a cut either along the spine or on the keel. If you cook several chickens at once for a large company, it will be convenient to cut the carcass in half or quarters.

For cooking on skewers or skewers it is more convenient to cut the meat directly before baking.

Feed to the table

Baked grilled chicken fare perfectly suits garnishes from potatoes, pasta, rice. It is accepted to eat poultry with a fork and knife, but if the feast occurs in a relaxed picnic atmosphere, one can not adhere to strict etiquette rules. Take the pieces is completely permissible hands.

Be sure to serve a salad of seasonal vegetables, homemade pickles, marinated mushrooms or canned olives. Do not forget about sauces!