Grilled Basil Chicken with Spinach Risoni

Yesterday I sent my husband a whining e-mail about not having a grill, so he went over to the commissary/PX and bought one, then spent most of the night putting it together.  Nice man.  Harpy wife.  Opposites attract :D

Frugal’s post on Mushroom Orzotto http://frugalfeeding.com/2013/02/17/mushroom-orzotto/ reminded me that I had brought over a bag of risetti/risoni/orzo from my pantry in France.

I’m very much a hater when it comes to rice but this rice-like pasta is fabulous, nothing like rice :)

I butterflied (for you Brits, Kings and Queens of the English language, that’s spatchcocked) a farm chicken and rubbed it with a basil marinade.

Having no bricks, I weighed it down on the grill with the “big black”.

Fabulous!

Grilled Basil Chicken

1 butterflied chicken

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Blend the garlic, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together until smooth.  Gently loosen the skin over the breast and legs with with your fingers and insert marinade between the skin and meat, then rub marinade over the whole chicken.  Set some marinade aside for basting.  Refrigerate the chicken for at least 2 hours.

Grill the chicken on a 425 F grill over indirect heat, top down, weighted with bricks or a cast iron skillet, turning and basting every 15 minutes for a total of 45 minutes.  Start skin side down.

Spinach Risoni

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cumin

4 cups fresh baby spinach

8 oz dried risoni, cooked and drained

3 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

Salt and pepper

Saute the onion, pepper and garlic in the olive oil.  Add the coriander and cumin and continue to cook for a minute.  Add the spinach and cook just until wilted.  Stir in the risoni, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well.