Scott’s Chicken

Friday night I was, at last, able to try Scott’s much lauded chicken. And, do you know what? His chicken was worth all the praise it received. I almost don’t have the words to tell you how good his chicken is. I had a breast piece that was juicy and flavorful all the way down to the bone. I was polite at the beginning of dinner. I ate my chicken with a knife and fork, but then I reached the bone. Once I reached the bone, I couldn’t get the small pieces of chicken off, so I picked it up with my hands and sucked the bone dry. Umm, so good! (Thank you Scott and Beth for a delicious dinner and great company!)

Now, as I said before, Scott’s family tradition is to leave out an ingredient or two when sharing a recipe. I watched him like a hawk, so I think I got everything. He starts by butterflying the chicken, and he does it differently than I have seen before. He splits the chicken at the breastbone rather than at the back. I think this is the trick to keeping the breast moist while making sure the thighs are completely cooked.
His second trick is to completely coat the chicken with his special rub. Scott’s rub consists of cumin, Adobo seasoning and smoked paprika. He sprinkled them on separately starting with the cumin and ending with the paprika. I didn’t get a measurement from him, but it looked to me like he sprinkled between 2 Tablespoons and ¼ cup of cumin and between 2 Tablespoons and ¼ cup of Adobo, and he sprinkled the smoked paprika on top of that for color and flavor. He told me the only time he was disappointed with the chicken was when he didn’t sprinkle on enough of the spices. He lets the chicken sit for about 45 minutes on the counter to let the spices sink in. He cooks the chicken on the barbeque on indirect heat for about an hour.
Scott’s Chicken
1 whole chicken, butterflied
¼ cup cumin (or to taste)
¼ cup Adobo (or to taste)
2 Tablespoons smoked paprika

Sprinkle the spices all over the chicken, let sit for 30 to 45 minutes. Cook over indirect heat skin side up for ½ an hour, and then turn over to finish cooking. Take off the grill, and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.