Chef John's Broiled Chicken

Name: Chef John's Broiled Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 small onion, sliced; 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut in half, backbone removed; salt as needed

Rating: 4.62 stars

39 Ratings
28 Reviews
8 Photos

The next time rain ruins your dream of a grilled chicken dinner, I hope you fire up your broiler and give this easy, alternative method a try. Not only are you getting the same intense, direct heat, but you also have more control, since you can adjust how far the chicken is from the flame. I prefer the meat about 7 to 8 inches under the heating element, but feel free to adjust as needed. Garnish with freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh oregano.

By Chef John

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Recipe Summary

prep:

10 mins

cook:

30 mins

total:

40 mins

Servings:

Yield:

6 servings

Nutrition Info

Ingredients

Original recipe yields 6 servings

The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

1 small onion, sliced
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut in half, backbone removed
salt as needed

Directions

Step 1

Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.

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Step 2

Spread onion slices in a single layer on the bottom of a baking dish. Season chicken with salt. Place chicken halves, skin-side down, over onion rings.
Step 3

Cook chicken in the preheated oven, turning every 7 minutes, until caramelized, no longer pink at the bone, and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

584 calories; protein 26.1g; carbohydrates 1.1g; fat 51.9g; cholesterol 105.8mg; sodium 83.3mg. Full Nutrition

Reviews (28)

Most helpful positive review

stjchurchcook

10/14/2014

This chicken is wonderful but I just wanted to save everyone some grief. DO NOT USE A PYREX DISH UNDER THE BROILER. Pyrex is not safe under the broiler, it will shatter. I speak from an experience several years ago. I use the broiler pan with out the insert. I am a huge Chef John fan but I was surprised to see him using glass under the broiler. Hope this will save someone a lot of trouble. Read More

Helpful

(66)

Most helpful critical review

Regina

08/10/2016

I made the recipe as is and felt that it was good but nothing really extraordinary. It is great that it is simple and quick to make. For that reason I will incorporate this technique using different ingredients. Read More

Helpful

(6)

39 Ratings

5 star values: 26
4 star values: 11
3 star values: 2
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 0

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

stjchurchcook

10/14/2014

Helpful

(66)

Betty Haniotakis

06/14/2016

When you broil in a gas oven, you close the door, as opposed to an electric oven, in which you leave the door open a crack to let out any smoke that occurs during broiling. The gas absorbs the smoke, or at least that's what I learned in my home economics class many years ago. Read More

Helpful

(27)

ekquirk

09/11/2014

This was great AND easy. I used drum sticks and thighs. Added a little pepper with the salt. Very tasty easy and well received by all! Read More

Helpful

(16)

Wannabehealthy

01/11/2015

The finished photo with Chef John cutting into this perfectly broiled chicken hooked me on making this. It is a simple and delicious recipe. I followed the directions using bone-in chicken breasts with the skin on and everything turned out great. Now that your chicken soup recipe is on line, I think I will use those onions and the bones to make a stock. Thank you again! Read More

Helpful

(9)

RainbowJewels

Allstar

09/13/2014

This was SO GOOD and so easy to make. I added a little bit of fresh cracked black pepper and a pinch of rosemary. Lunch was awesome. Thanks Chef John. Read More

Helpful

(8)

Lefty

10/14/2014

Very easy very quick and delicious. I watched the video which lemon was suggested. I used lime juice...very nice added flavor. The onions were great too. TY John. Read More

Helpful

(7)

Regina

08/10/2016

Helpful

(6)

KarenPChappell

08/15/2016

I added pepper with the salt. After 14 minutes I lowered the rack one notch as I feared it was going to burn. The onions did. When I turned them each time, I scooped the onions under the chicken so they stayed moist and didn't burn anymore. It could be variation in ovens and mine only has one broiler setting. I left the door ajar. It took 30 minutes and we loved it! So easy and fast. Served with potato salad, corn on the cob and Caprese salad. Read More

Helpful

(6)

Elhundle

08/08/2015

So easy and so delicious. I can't believe this doesn't have a million five-star ratings. We paired this with the Roquefort PEAR Salad from AllRecipes and it was a success. Thank you Chef John! Read More

Helpful

(6)

More Reviews

Reviews for: Photos of Chef John's Broiled Chicken

1 of 28

All Reviews

This was great AND easy. I used drum sticks and thighs. Added a little pepper with the salt. Very tasty easy and well received by all!

This was SO GOOD and so easy to make. I added a little bit of fresh cracked black pepper and a pinch of rosemary. Lunch was awesome. Thanks Chef John.

Very easy very quick and delicious. I watched the video which lemon was suggested. I used lime juice...very nice added flavor. The onions were great too. TY John.

So easy and so delicious. I can't believe this doesn't have a million five-star ratings. We paired this with the Roquefort PEAR Salad from AllRecipes and it was a success. Thank you Chef John!