Ingredients

3 sticks butter, softened
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
6 tablespoons finely diced onion
1 1⁄4 cups fresh bread crumbs
1⁄2 cup rinsed, diced preserved-lemon rind (available at Kalustyan’s)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 31⁄2-pound chickens, butterflied
6 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Combine butter, rosemary, onion, bread crumbs, and preserved lemon in a bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently separate the chicken skin from the flesh, and stuff this mixture in between, covering the breast and thighs with a 1⁄4-inch layer. Brush the chickens with oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the grill to medium-high. Place the chickens on the grill skin-side down, and cook until the skin is brown, 4 to 5 minutes, moving to a cooler spot if the coals start to flare up. Turn the chickens over, close the grill hood, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove chickens from grill, and cut in half down the breast bone.

(Published 2004)