Pollo Alla Diavola

Pollo Alla Diavola translates to devilish chicken. Alla Diavola refers to using chili's in the recipe as it's supposed to be hot and spicy like most Latin things are.  However, I have to say that we were quite surprised that this dish was not really hot. It had an excellent flavor but no real heat, so don't be afraid to make it if you are not a fan of hot food. The chili sauce added great flavor, and it was moist and juicy.

This dish was inspired by Bobby Flay's show BBQ Addiction on Food Network. It is our new favorite show.   I have never seen my husband watch a cooking show and be so focused. He even rewinds the DVR sometimes if he has to see something over again. He is totally channeling Bobby these days and I am the lucky recipient of his work. 

For this recipe you need a whole chicken.  There are only two of us and I always experience a little sticker shock when I buy a whole organic chicken.  I don't usually spend $18 on meat for one meal.  But then I realized that this chicken would feed us for more than one meal. As it turns out we got three meals out of this one, so that's only $6 a meal.  I'm sold. 

Pick any combination of dried chili's you like. We had a few different kinds in the pantry so we used all three.  We used an ancho and a generic California chili because they provide that deep depth of flavor but they are not hot. Then we added a couple of the tiny little red Asian chili's that for the heat.  We used only half of this chili oil for the whole chicken we grilled and kept the other half in a glass jar in the refrigerator. A week later we made chicken again and used the rest of the oil. 

1 whole organic chicken, butterflied
3/4 cup olive oil 
1 tsp dried oregano 
1 tsp salt
4 to 6 black peppercorns 
4 or 5 dried chili's
3 large garlic cloves
  
In a small dry saute pan heat the chili's for a few minutes to bring out the flavor.  Add the peppercorns, garlic, oregano and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. 
Heat on low simmer for about 5 minutes until the oils release and the air is fragrant  Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes.  Pour into a food processor or blender, add the salt and puree until smooth.  If needed you can add an additional 1/4 cup of olive oil. Pour into a glass jar for storage. 

Butterfly the chicken by cutting out the backbone.  We used a pair of kitchen shears which made it a pretty easy process. Then press it down flat to help it cook evenly.  There are videos on line if you want to watch a how to.  

With a pastry brush brush on the chili oil all over the chicken.  Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Put chicken on the grill and cook for approximately 10 minutes on direct heat, skin side down. You want a nice brown crisp skin. Flip it over and cook approximately another 30 minutes on indirect heat. Try to maintain the temperature at 400 degrees. Check the internal temperature until it comes to 160 degrees  Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.