Syrian Grilled Chicken
Syrian grilled chicken is first soaked in water, vinegar, and salt, then marinated in a bold liquid mixture of spices, lemon, orange, garlic, tomato molasses, pepper molasses, vinegar, sugar, and ice, and refrigerated for twenty-four hours. It is then roasted on a rotisserie spit in the oven at one hundred and fifty degrees for half an hour, then at two hundred degrees for one hour until cooked through and crisp. Serve hot with garlic sauce, chili sauce, potatoes, and bread.
A Syrian-style roasted or grilled whole chicken preparation.
Like a seasoned roast chicken with Middle Eastern flavors.
Marinate the chicken well so the flavor reaches the meat.
Ingredients
- one whole chicken
- oil
- spices
- marinade
- two tablespoons salt
- two teaspoons dried coriander
- half a teaspoon black pepper
- half a teaspoon ground ginger
- half a teaspoon curry powder
- one and a quarter tablespoons smoked or regular paprika
- half a teaspoon ground cardamom
- one lemon, cut up with its peel
- one quarter orange, cut up with its peel
- eight cloves garlic
- one tablespoon tomato molasses
- one tablespoon pepper molasses
- three tablespoons white vinegar
- half a teaspoon sugar
- one liter water
- about one kilo and a little more ice
- three to four leaves bay leaves
- as needed for thinning and blending water
- one, weighing about one kilo chicken
- for soaking and cleaning water, vinegar, and salt
Instructions
- Blend the salt, dried coriander, black pepper, ginger, curry powder, paprika, cardamom, lemon, orange, garlic, tomato molasses, pepper molasses, white vinegar, and sugar with the water until the marinade is liquid.
- Add the ice to the marinade until it is cold and liquid.
- Soak the chicken in a pot of water, vinegar, and salt for fifteen minutes to clean it and remove any odor.
- Drain the chicken from the soaking water, then place it in the liquid marinade and submerge it completely.
- Leave the chicken in the marinade in the refrigerator for twenty-four hours.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, then drain it well.
- Remove any unwanted excess parts from the chicken, and leave the rear skin trimmed short as explained.
- Tie the chicken onto the grilling spit, securing the legs and wings tightly.
- Place a tray beneath the chicken in the oven to collect any liquid that drips at the beginning.
- Roast the chicken in the oven at one hundred and fifty degrees for half an hour, with rotation only.
- Raise the oven temperature to two hundred degrees and leave the chicken for one full hour, until cooked through and browned.
- Remove the tray collecting the water at the beginning of roasting when the fat starts to drip.
- Leave the chicken in the oven until the skin becomes crisp and roasting is complete.
- Serve the chicken hot with garlic sauce, chili sauce, potatoes, and bread.