Mediterranean Grilled Chicken has super juicy roasted chicken topped with a variety of vegetables and feta cheese – all with incredibly zesty flavors. Serve over white rice.
Author:A Family Feast
Prep Time:8 hours 15 mins
Cook Time:15 mins
Total Time:8 hours 30 minutes
Yield:8 servings 1x
Category:entree
Method:grilled
Cuisine:Mediterranean
Ingredients
UnitsScale
Brine
1/2cupshallots
2 large garlic cloves
Juice and zest from one lemon
1/2cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4cupstemmed jarred pepperoncini
1/4cupcapers
1 small to medium bunch fresh parsley with stems
1/4cup fresh oregano
8 whole peppercorns
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2cup of liquid taken from a mix of the capers, olives and pepperoncini jars
1/4poundfeta cheese
1/4cupextra virgin olive oil
2cupswater
3-5poundsskin-on, bone-in chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, legs or wings)
In the bowl of a food processor, place shallots and process until finely chopped. Add garlic, lemon zest and juice, olives, pepperoncini, capers, parsley, oregano, peppercorns, salt, liquid from jars and feta cheese. Process to form a thick paste then slowly add oil with motor running. Add water and mix to combine. The mixture will be thick.
Place chicken pieces in one or more gallon zip lock bags and pour in brine. Seal and refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight.
Remove from bags and rinse chicken. Discard brine.
Place paper towels on a tray and place rinsed chicken onto the paper towels. Use more paper towels to dry the tops. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
While chicken is resting, make white rice according to package directions.
Also heat your outdoor grill to high.
Finally mix all topping ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until later.
When ready to grill, brush both sides of the chicken in oil and sprinkle the skin side with salt and pepper. (Always oil your food, never the grill)
Grill skin down for just two minutes to crisp skin. (Be careful with thighs as they are fatty and may cause a flare up and burn).
After two minutes, reduce grill to a low heat and move chicken to an upper rack if possible or to a cooler side of the grill, skin side up. Cover grill and cook for 13-15 more minutes until cooked through. If your grill has a thermometer, try to keep in the 350 to 400 degree F range.
Remove from grill and serve over the cooked rice and topped with the topping.