Lemon Herb Loaf Pan Chicken
As I mentioned last month Chris Lilly shared his great Loaf Pan Chicken recipe with us at Kingsford University. This is my Mediterranean take on that recipe. The technique is quick and easy, and the results are truly spectacular.

If you've struggled with dry chicken from the grill, this process will remedy that. The pan traps all of what would otherwise be drippings and helps to keep the bird very moist. I add the extra step of turing the chickens breast-side-down toward the end of the cook. This literally submerges the breast in the accumulated flavorful liquid, which bastes it and makes it even more moist.

Note: I cooked two chickens, so I used a 9" x 13" pan. You can use a standard loaf pan for one chicken. I recommend disposable aluminum pans because they require zero clean-up, but it really depends on the size of the chicken.

Ingredients
2 Chickens (4 to 5 lbs each)
4 cloves Elephant garlic, quartered (or 8 cloves of regular garlic)
2 Lemons, quartered
1 1/2 cups Applesauce (no sugar added)
1/3 cup Your favorite poultry dry rub (I used Dirty Bird from Kosmo's Q)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
10 sprigs Thyme, rough-chopped (about 1/4 cup)
5 sprigs Rosemary, rough-chopped (about 1/4 cup)
5 sprigs Sage, rough-chopped (about 1/8 cup)

Method
Prepare your grill for indirect cooking over medium-high heat (350-375º).

Combine the lemons, garlic, herbs, and one tablespoon of the rub in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Combine the applesauce and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.

Remove the innards from each chicken, rinse them well, then pat the outside of each dry with paper towels.

Stuff each with half of the lemon, garlic and herb mixture.

Smear the entire outside of each chicken liberally with the applesauce mixture.

Coat the outside of each chicken equally with the remaining rub.

Set the chickens in the pan, facing in opposite directions.

Lemon Herb Loaf Pan Chicken

Cook the chickens indirect for 90 minutes.

Flip each chicken over in the pan and continue cooking for 30 minutes, or until the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh is 180º.

Lemon Herb Loaf Pan Chicken

Flip each chicken over again, and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the grill, tent it with foil, and let the chickens rest for about 15 minutes.

Lemon Herb Loaf Pan Chicken

Carve, serve and enjoy!

Labels: ,

18 Comments:
Anonymous Robyn said...
Looks tasty John! I'll be giving this a try!!
Anonymous Gillian said...
could you get the same results in a conventional oven?
Anonymous Anonymous said...
What is the purpose of the applesauce? What does it do? It looks yummy.
Blogger by DeeDee said...
So happy I found you. I love to cook too it's kind of my passion and I am always eager to add new recipes to my list of favorites to cook.
Blogger Unknown said...
Gillian - Yes, you can certainly do this in an oven.
Blogger Unknown said...
Anonymous - The applesauce helps the rub stick, protects the meat, and adds a subtle sweetness.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Hi John. This sounds delicous. I can't wait to try this. I always cook two chickens so I can have another meal already prepared. I love the applesauce ideal. Thanks for a great blog.
Blogger Chris said...
Great spin on that recipe, John! The tip on flipping at the end is genius.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Looks delicious. Do you have a homemade rub you can suggest? I'm in the UK and Kosmo's Q isn't available here, and I couldn't even begin to think of a substitute.
Blogger Unknown said...
soulkitschen - I do have a rub recipe.

All-Purpose BBQ Seasoning
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Fanatastic. I'll make up a batch of that rub tomorrow.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Crazy good! Applesauce superb!
Anonymous Simon said...
Love this sort of dish, the sweetness of that applesauce is going to be amazing. Raw cooking, love it!
Anonymous Weber said...
I have never considered apple sauce with chicken, I ssuppose its always associated with pork more, looking forward to some great results here, thanks.
Anonymous ef 3000 said...
The food looks great, but the pictures show drip pans, they seem to be easy to work with and collects all the drippings as you have stated, a nice tip.
Anonymous Anonymous said...
This sounds good. Would you suggest cooking this in an oven for the same amount of time as the grill?
I definitely want to give this a try but the oven may be more convenient some days.
Blogger Unknown said...
Liz - I wouldn't recommend cooking these in the oven, but if you do I'd increase the heat to 425* and use the same timing. I've never done it, so this is just an estimate.
Blogger Wayne said...
I love this recipe, just put it on the grill now for a repeat performance!

Post a Comment

Note: Comments containing profanity or blatant promotion/spam will not be published

<< Older Posts

Newer Posts >>