Pollo Alla Diavola (Chicken Devil's Style)
Submitted by MikeyB
Italian pollo alla diavola or “devil’s chicken” with butterflied bird marinated in chili-infused olive oil and lemon, then grilled hard over coals until charred. Classic Tuscan grilling.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
15 minREADY
45 minA Tuscan grilling classic, pollo alla diavola (literally “chicken devil’s style") gets its name from the heat of dried red chilies in the marinating oil and the fiery char of cooking over a heap of hot coals. The dried chilies brown briefly in olive oil to infuse it with their heat and flavor, then get thrown away before the oil cools. What’s left is a slick, spicy, lemon-bright marinade that coats every inch of the flattened bird.
Butterflying (or spatchcocking) the chicken and pounding it flat is the key technique. The flat shape gives you maximum skin contact with the grill grates so every bite gets a deep brown crust, and the even thickness means the breast and thighs cook through at the same rate. Some charring is encouraged. The recipe author calls for spots that are “well charred," which is genuine diavola style.
Pro Tips
- Use a heavy meat mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken to an even thickness. The flatter, the better the crust.
- Start the chicken skin side down on the hottest part of the grill. The fat renders out and gives you crispy skin.
- Don’t skip the lemon. Wedges at the table are part of the dish, not garnish. Squeezed over the hot chicken, the juice cuts through the rich oil.
- A grill thermometer reading 165°F (75°C) in the thigh is your doneness cue.
Variations
- For more pronounced heat, add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the cooled marinade.
- Marinate overnight (instead of 1-2 hours) for deeper lemon penetration.
- Serve with arugula salad dressed in olive oil and lemon for a true Tuscan plate.
Ingredients
Directions
On a stove burner, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat.
Add the chili pods and sauté them until they are a deep, dark brown.
Turn off the heat and cool the olive oil and throw away the browned chilies.
(The alternative is to add tabasco sauce to the oil to make it hot without cooking it).
Crack the leg and wing joints of the chickens loose and spread them out, skin side up on a board or clean counter.
Pound the chickens with a meat mallet to flatten them out.
Add the juice of 1 of the lemons to the seasoned olive oil along with 3 or 4 twists of pepper.
Put the chicken halves in a big bowl, pour the seasoned olive oil over them and turn the pieces over and over to coat them well.
Let the chicken stand for 1 to 2 hours, turning the halves from time to time.
Start your charcoal grill.
When your grill is heaped high with hot coals, put the marinated chicken halves on to cook, skin side down.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and a little more pepper, grill thoroughly, turning and basting with the remaining marinade.
The chicken is done when it is tender and has a dark brown crust all over (some spots may well be charred) You can use the broiler in your oven, but an oven broiler never seems to get hot enough.
If you want to try, preheat the broiler, put the chicken as close to the flame or coil as possible and broil it, turning it frequently and basting it often.
Serve chicken hot with lemon wedges.
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