Cornell Chicken

Tonight I made Cornell Chicken, a recipe I have made before. I used chicken pieces instead of chicken halves. Unfortunately I didn't read the directions closely and I ended up adding 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp black pepper and 1 T poultry seasoning to the sauce, instead of setting those aside as a dry rub. Even so, the chicken came out great, of course next time I wouldn't use that much salt on purpose. I would however next time add poultry seasoning to the sauce. The only aggravation of the meal was that after grilling the chicken for like 45 mins it still was not cooked all the way, and by this time enough fat/grease had cooked off the chicken that the grill was flaring up badly. I ended up taking the chicken off the grill and microwaving it to make sure it was fully cooked and safe to eat. I wish you could buy chicken without bones but still had the skin on them. Maybe next time I'll try this with split cornish hens- as they are are small and maybe easier to cook. But wow, this chicken is so good. I will definitely make again.

Do not brine the chicken longer than 2 hours or the vinegar will make the meat mushy.

Chicken
2 quarts water
3 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1/4 cup salt
2 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) whole chickens , halved

Seasoning and Sauce
1 tablespoon ground poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup olive oil

1. For the chicken: Whisk water, vinegar, and salt in large bowl until salt dissolves. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.
2. For the seasoning and sauce: Combine poultry seasoning, 2 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper in small bowl; set aside. Process vinegar, mustard, sage, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. With blender running, slowly add oil until incorporated.

3. Heat all burners on high for 15 minutes, then turn all burners to medium-low. (For charcoal grill, light 75 coals; when covered with fine gray ash, spread evenly over bottom of grill. Set cooking grate in place and heat covered, with lid vents open completely, for 5 minutes.) Scrape and oil cooking grate.
4. Remove chicken from brine. Pat dry with paper towels and rub all over with poultry seasoning mixture. Arrange chicken skin-side up on grill and baste with vinegar sauce. Grill, covered, until chicken is well browned on bottom and meat registers 120 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes, basting with sauce halfway through cooking. Flip chicken skin-side down and baste with sauce. Continue to grill, covered, until skin is golden brown and crisp and thigh meat registers 170 to 175 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to platter (do not cover) and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.
Make Ahead: Both the spice rub and the sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. The chicken can be brined, patted dry, and rubbed with the seasoning mixture up to 8 hours ahead.