Grilled Lemon-Pepper Chicken

bon appétit dinner grill grill/barbecue summer chicken lemon lemon juice kid-friendly wheat/gluten-free small plates

Bryan Furman

8 servings

Source

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2–4-lb.) chicken, cut in half

4 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

Vegetable oil (for grill)

1 1/2 lemons, divided

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. honey

Method

Sprinkle chicken all over with salt and 1 1/2 tsp. pepper. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare a grill for medium heat and brush grate with oil. Thinly slice lemon half into rounds. Heat butter and honey in a small saucepan until butter is melted and foaming, then remove from heat and add lemon slices.

Grill chicken, skin side down, until skin is lightly charred and releases from grate without tearing, about 6 minutes. Turn chicken over and lightly brush with lemon butter. Cover grill and continue grilling chicken, brushing with lemon butter every 5 minutes or so, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°F, 25–28 minutes.

Just before chicken is ready, cut remaining lemon into quarters and grill, cut side down, until charred and softened, 6–8 minutes. Transfer chicken and lemons to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes before carving chicken into pieces.

To serve, squeeze grilled lemons over chicken and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp. pepper.