Island Entertaining BY KAREN MILLER

PHOTO BY ANDRE VAN DER VEEN

SPATCHCOCKED GRILLED TERIYAKI CHICKEN

A Chicken on Every Grill!

BY KAREN MILLER

Ingredients One 5 to 6 lb. chicken, spatchcocked

Are you appalled at the price of groceries these days? We certainly are! But that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop eating the food we love, and that’s when we turn to the humble chicken. As the price of meat and seafood goes up, chicken is still reasonably priced and adaptable for any meal, from a backyard cookout to an elegant dinner party.

With Father’s Day right around the corner, we’re making Dad a grilled spatchcock teriyaki chicken for dinner. Spatchcocking is a culinary term for splitting open, or butterflying, poultry for grilling or roasting. In this way, the chicken will cook more evenly, and it will be tender and juicy.

Using strong kitchen shears, cut alongside the chicken’s backbone from one end of the bird to the other. Then, cut along the other side of the backbone and remove it completely. Open the cavity and score the breastbone from one end to the other, without cutting into the meat and skin. Your chicken should lay flat at this point.

You may season your chicken however you wish before you grill it, but we like to make a teriyaki sauce and let the chicken hang out in the marinade, refrigerated, for about 4 hours before cooking it. When you’re ready to grill, remove the chicken from the marinade and pour the leftover sauce into a small pan. For a 5 to 6-pound chicken, grill on one side for about 25 minutes, then turn and grill on the other side until a thermometer reads 160 degrees. Remove the chicken from the grill, cover it with foil, and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, bring the leftover teriyaki marinade to a simmer, and cook until it is reduced by about half. Cut the chicken into serving pieces and drizzle the sauce over all.

We like to serve this teriyaki chicken with broccoli ramen salad and roasted potatoes. Leftovers are great cold or at room temperature. But, knowing my Dad, there won’t be any leftovers this Father’s Day!

For marinade 1 orange, sliced 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup water 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar 2 tsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. hot sauce 1 large knob of ginger, peeled and grated 4 cloves garlic, minced

Preparation Combine all marinade ingredients in a pitcher. Place prepared chicken in a large Ziploc bag, then pour marinade over all and seal. Refrigerate for 4 hours, then grill as above. When chicken is nearly done, place orange slices on the grill and cook until tender. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

BROCCOLI RAMEN SALAD

For salad 2 small crowns broccoli 1/2 small red cabbage, thinly sliced 3 scallions, thinly sliced 1 package ramen noodles 1 handful raw pumpkin seeds

For salad dressing 1/2 cup neutral oil 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. soy sauce 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, more or less to taste

Preparation Make the dressing by combining the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and brown sugar to taste. Remove the florets from the broccoli, making sure they are cut into very small pieces. Peel the broccoli stalks and slice very thinly into matchsticks. Using your hands, crush the ramen while still in the package. (Discard the spice packet.) In a large bowl, place broccoli, red cabbage, ramen, and scallions. Pour the dressing over all and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving. Makes about 8 servings.