It's a Long Weekend
and almost my birthday
Hello and welcome to Home Movies Tuesday! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:
It’s 6:01 the night before this recipe is published and I’m outside lighting the grill to make it, this chicken. I’m doing this because I forgot to take a photo when we were filming, and simply didn’t have the time (or I forgot) between now and then to make this chicken, and if you’re going to put a recipe on the internet, it needs a photo. That’s fine, though—this chicken is truly great and I won’t mind eating it for dinner tonight. I know that it’s also wonderful cold over rice noodles the next day, which is great news for me, tomorrow. There’s also a backbone which I’ll turn into a tiny batch of broth…needless to say, I’m thrilled for tonight's homework.
This happens a lot, the last minute thing. I’m writing the newsletter the day of. I’m writing recipes the night before a shoot (or…during a shoot). I’m a last-minute person. I’ve been this way my whole life, since I was old enough to have a deadline. When I worked in restaurants, things always felt so hurried and rushed, but I remember my first boss telling me once, “If you have all day, you’ll take all day.” I think of that often when I force myself to do a week’s worth of work in two days and it turns out great. When it comes to my cooking and writing, the last minute-ness feels more than appropriate, like it couldn’t happen any other way. I feel this way NOW, I want to cook this NOW, I want to eat this NOW. So I have to write about it now, process it now, document it now…then move on forever. “Planning ahead simply doesn’t work for my creative process,” a thing I will deny saying if ever quoted.
Anyway, I’m glad to have to make this chicken again tonight— grilled low and slow then crisped up till lightly charred, doused in a spicy lime dressing and plenty of herbs. One, because I need dinner, and two, because cooking something twice always makes the recipe better (even if the recipe’s been tested). I learn something new about the way I cook or the recipe itself, something I might have glossed over the first time around. I’m doing myself (and all of you) a favor by creating this extra work (is how I’m rationalizing all of this).
Here’s what I thought tonight to tell you that I didn’t tell you the first time around:
If grilling with charcoal, start with a full chimney’s worth of charcoal (I didn’t mention how much charcoal to start with in the original recipe. Could be helpful!). In the video, I scattered more on top because I had a few coals leftover and I didnt want to save a handful of coals. This will not make or break your grilling experience by adding more or having a little less.
My jalapeño tonight was very spicy which feels noteworthy only because most jalapeños I’ve had lately taste like a sassy bell pepper. I only needed one, but the other times I’ve made this, I’ve used two or supplemented with crushed red pepper flakes or a serrano chili because this dressing is meant to be spicy. Adjust for your peppers as needed.
Most of the cooking happens during the first part, when the chicken is skin-side up—off the direct heat, cooking low and slow. I don’t think I stressed this enough: This technique is foolproof, and always makes for a juicer chicken (low and slow always does), and also since it’s mostly cooked by the time it comes to flip, it will be firm and easy to handle with your tongs.
I still do not own a pair of grill-appropriate tongs. Why?
If I know you like I think I do, at least 73% of you who grill will be grilling this chicken on a gas grill, and that’s okay. If this video or recipe even plants the nascent seed that you should, one day, buy a lo-fi Weber grill and a bag of charcoal just to see if you like it (you will!), then I will have done my job. Know that the chicken will be great, but it will not the same as if you grilled over charcoal or wood.
Of those who are grilling, regardless of gas or charcoal, 48% of you will not cut a chicken in half and grill the two halves as instructed, but you will grill bone-in thighs or maybe just a whole, cut-up chicken. This is fine, just adjust your cooking times to account for smaller pieces (less time).
Advanced permission to the 55% of you who won’t even pretend to grill but will instead just roast a chicken or chicken parts and serve it with the sauce and herbs and rice and all that. It will still be fantastic, and I’ll never know the difference.
Besides “grilling chicken outdoors,” another thing that’s been giving me tremendous amounts of joy is the beautiful First Bloom Zine I made to celebrate our little store. Designed by Arsh Raziuddin and photographed by Chris Bernabeo, it’s got several new recipes, a few old favorites, and lots of information on what to do with your pantry items (purchased at First Bloom, presumably). It’s my favorite thing I’ve made in ages (and, since my next book isn’t out until fall of 2025, something to tide us over).
Right now it’s available in-store only, but for those of you who can’t get to The Catskills, stay tuned (here, on this newsletter) to be the first to know when we open our (very limited) online shop.
For the full recipe, read on.
Director: Doron Max Hagay @doronmaxhagay / Producer: Graham Mason @grahambomason / Photography Director: Alex Bliss @albertblimp / Audio: Yves Albaret @yvesarmand / Camera Operator: Daniel Rampulla @danielrampulla / Camera Operator: Johnny Frohman @johnnyfrohman / Graphics: Gordon Landenberger @gordonlandenberger / Editor: Maya Tippett @maya.tippett
Grilled Chicken with Spicy Lime Sauce, Herbs and Lettuces
Serves 4—6
Instantly obsessed with the many variations of nuoc cham I had while in Vietnam a few years back (some heavy on the fish sauce, some sweet, some vinegar-y), any combination of lime juice seasoned with garlic and fish sauce has become my absolute favorite way to dress grilled meats. Eating grilled, smoky meats wrapped in crunchy lettuces (or cabbage!) and fresh herbs between bites of chunky scallion and fluffy steamed rice is my late summer dream.
While this is a grilled chicken recipe using a whole chicken cut in half (coupled with the low and slow indirect technique, I find grilling halves of the chicken to be one of the most beautiful and fool-proof ways to do it), any sort of chicken you want to grill (bone-in, skin-on thighs, wings, boneless, skinless breasts…) will work here because this sauce is great on grilled chicken. Honestly, it’s great on roasted chicken, poached chicken…any chicken, really. I find most jalapeños to be not as spicy as they once were, but maybe that’s just me. If you’re looking for a very spicy sauce, you can always double the amount or use something like a Serrano pepper or Thai chili.
1 4–5 pound whole chicken, or 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil or other neutral oil, for rubbing
½ cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
2 tablespoons lime zest (from about 2 limes)
2 teaspoons fish sauce, plus more
1 teaspoon honey or light brown sugar, optional
2–4 garlic cloves, finely grated or finely chopped
1 jalapeño, finely grated or finely chopped
4 scallions, cut into 3” long pieces
2 small-medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
Sprigs of cilantro, mint, basil, for serving
Crunchy lettuce leaves like romaine, butter leaf, little gem, etc, for serving
Steamed white or brown rice, or cooked rice noodles, for serving
1. If using a whole chicken, you’ll want to cut it in half. Do this first by removing the backbone: With sharp kitchen shears (or a very sharp knife), start at the neck of the chicken and snip down both sides of the spine (or cut down both sides) all the way down through to the butt (save the backbone in the freezer for your next batch of broth).
2. Splay it out on a cutting board, skin side up, and firmly press chicken to flatten slightly to make it easier to cut through. Using your knife, cut down the middle of the chicken between the two breasts, giving you two identical halves of the chicken (if they are slightly less than identical… that’s okay).
3. No matter what kind of chicken you’re starting with, season it with salt and pepper (do this as far in advance as possible—up to 24 hours, but even if it’s only 10 minutes, great).
4. Start your grill. This means turning on the gas (high on one side, low on the other), or building a charcoal grill (with coals banked to one side). Once your grill is properly hot (this will vary, and only you know your grill like you do), drizzle your chicken on both sides with some oil, just to grease things up a bit.
5. [NOTE: These instructions and cooking times are for two halves of a whole chicken, not parts. For parts, assume a little more than half the cooking time here]. Place the chicken skin side UP on the cooler of the two sides of the grill. Cover your grill (be sure to open the vents if using charcoal to keep the air flowing) and don’t look at, touch, or really even think about your chicken for at least 25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the sauce and prepare the other wonderful things you’ll eat the chicken with. Combine lime juice, lime zest, fish sauce, honey (if using), garlic and jalapeño in a medium bowl. Season with salt, pepper and more fish sauce or honey/light brown sugar if you want. It should be very salty, very tart, very garlicky and just a little spicy (add crushed red pepper flake or a different type of chili if you want more heat). This is going to be a personal preference style sauce, so feel free to make it more or less of what you want given the ingredients involved.
7. Back to the chicken! Remove the cover of your grill– the chicken should be nicely browned on top and firm to the touch (raw chicken is squishy and flimsy, cooked chicken is firm and sturdy). If it still looks extremely pale and perhaps still totally raw, make sure your heat is working as well as it can, and let it go another 5-10 or so minutes (you’ll probably go for 30-35 minutes total on this side— it’s where most of the cooking happens).
8. Once the chicken is firm enough to handle with tongs (a sign it’s nearly cooked through), flip it over, skin side down, inching a bit closer to the hotter part of the grill (you don’t want total direct heat or you’ll get too many flare-ups, but you do want to be closer than you were for the first part of low and slow cooking). Again, resist the urge to touch your chicken too much, unless there are flare-ups that need tending to. Instead, let it nicely brown and finish cooking, another 15-20 minutes.
9. Remove chicken from the grill and place skin-side up on a cutting board or serving platter of your choosing. Spoon the limey dressing over the chicken and scatter with a few herbs. Serve with sprigs of herbs, whole big leaves of lettuce, chunky pieces of scallion, sliced cucumber, and a nice pot of fluffy rice or a bed of rice noodles .
In summer I prioritize wearing jewelry that I don't really have to take off between cooking, swimming, A NIGHT ON THE TOWN (jk I don’t go anywhere), etc. These earrings go with everything and never come off.
My (unintentionally) meal-matching shirt is several-seasons-ago Bode, and sadly nowhere to be found.
In terms of tools, this sauce will be much trickier to pull off If you don’t have a microplane. You could also make the whole sauce in this handy measuring cup. If I were a serious person I would finally buy myself these tongs.
My go-to chicken size is somewhere between 4–4 ½ pounds, but inching closer to 5 is okay if that’s what you can find.In the video I’m using a very large (but somehow normal-size) chicken from one of my favorites up here, Rock Royal Farm, and this is my go-to fish sauce (also a big fan of Red Boat).
Unfortunately, the extremely adorable and functional Staub pot I’m using to cook rice in the video is very hard to find in the mustard color I have. I suppose the next closest one is this version in citron. I also own this color that is still available (I really love this pot, great size for lots of stuff like rice and making 4 soft boiled eggs)
Spindrift is the sponsorship I will ask for every day until they notice me. Because I am a classic girl, lemon is my favorite, followed by raspberry lime and pink lemonade.
Have a beautiful long weekend, everyone. Summer is leaving but for now it’s still here, so best to appreciate it while we can. Leave your phone inside for a bit. Lay on a blanket. Drink lots of lemonade. Read a few pages of a book, at least. Pick flowers from the side of the road or buy some from a bodega. Find water and sit near it. Eat ice cream before 4pm. Buy the good nectarines and eat at least one a day. Take a nap. Ignore your email. Wear something gauzy.
Happy birthday! I happen to have shrimp on hand but no chicken, but I think I am going to try this sauce on shrimp, if you don’t disapprove!
This sounds ammmazing!