Rotisserie Chicken Injected with Orange, Pineapple & Basil

Ease of Preparation: Moderate

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 x 4-5 lb free range whole chickens – rinsed and patted dry (1.8kg-2.26kg)

Marinade:

1.5 cups fresh pineapple juice (375ml)

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (250ml)

¼ cup rice wine vinegar (60ml)

2 tablespoons pineapple basil or sweet basil (30ml)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (60ml)

1 Serrano chilli, seeded and minced fine

Pinch of salt

Basting

¼ cup melted unsalted butter (60ml)

Method:

Place all of the marinade ingredients into a blender and mix.

Place each chicken into a separate sealable plastic bag and pour half of the marinade over each.

Seal the bags and place the chicken in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from marinade and set them on a large baking tray. Discard the bags and used marinade.

Truss chickens with butchers twine and place them securely in the centre of the bbq rotisserie spit.

Season both chickens with salt.

Preheat the bbq to 325°F-350°F using side burners only and leaving the middle burner off. Place a drip pan over the middle burner to catch the drippings.

Mount the rotisserie onto the grill. The chicken should be overtop of the drip pan.

Paint the chicken with the melted butter.

Close the lid and cook for 1.5 -2 hours or 20 minutes a pound. Baste with any juices that drip into the pan every 30 minutes.

Once the chicken is done (the meat thermometer should show 180°F/90°C when reading from the centre of the breast and not touching any bone), remove them from the barbecue and place on a clean tray. Cover them with tin foil and allow them to rest for 15 minutes.

Carve the chicken into desired portions, serve and enjoy.