She Strengthens

Elevate Your Weeknight Dinner with a Juicy Rotisserie Chicken

Are you tired of the same old grocery store rotisserie chicken? With a little planning, you can create a mouth-watering, homemade version that’s sure to impress your family and friends. This recipe combines the crispiest skin, juiciest meat, and a bonus side dish, all done on your home grill’s rotisserie.

The Perfect Seasoning

To start, season a whole chicken with a simple mixture of salt and five-spice powder, and let it marinate in the fridge overnight. This will ensure that your chicken is infused with flavor from the inside out.

The Glaze: A Sweet and Savory Combination

While your chicken is marinating, prepare a sticky soy-and-brown-sugar glaze that will add a depth of flavor to your dish. This glaze is also perfect for brushing on the accompanying vegetables, which will soak up all the flavorful drippings.

The Vegetables: A Delicious Bonus

For this recipe, we’re using baby bok choy and Chinese or Japanese eggplant, which will cook to perfection underneath the chicken. Simply toss the vegetables with some oil, salt, and pepper, and you’re ready to go.

Game Plan: Timing is Everything

To ensure that your chicken and vegetables are cooked to perfection, make sure to plan ahead. Season the chicken for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight, and cook the chicken and vegetables for about 30 minutes total.

Special Equipment: What You’ll Need

For this recipe, you’ll need an outdoor gas grill with a rotisserie attachment, as well as some butcher’s twine to tie up the chicken. Don’t forget to pick up some oyster sauce, which adds a rich, savory flavor to the dish.

The Final Touches

Once your chicken and vegetables are cooked, remove them from the grill and let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes. Carve the bird and serve with the vegetables and steamed white rice. Any leftovers can be transformed into a unique spin on basic fried rice.

Yield and Difficulty

This recipe yields 4 servings and is rated as easy. The total cooking time is about 1 hour and 45 minutes, plus at least 6 hours of seasoning time.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken

For the glaze:

• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

For the vegetables:

• 1 pound baby bok choy, halved lengthwise, rinsed, and dried
• 1 pound Chinese or Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

• Steamed white rice