A Yardbird Feast for a Spring Chicken

Grandmother-of-Boar, Iris, recently celebrated a milestone: her 90th birthday—a feat most folks can’t enjoy until they are much older.  Iris welcomed her tenth decade still astride a four-wheeler, wind in her face, romping through the pastures of life—a spring chicken, my friend.

And it did not come as a surprise to me, for there were signs along the way.  About twenty years ago, when she was a mere seventy and I, a strapping young lad of twenty five, or so, loaded a truck of firewood together (I was raiding her stash of cut, split and well-seasoned wood to burn in the fireplace of my family’s first home).  She jumped into the back of my truck (before the days of the old man step —which I have used now for several years and can’t figure out how anyone managed before) and hollered, “you put it up here and I’ll stack it.”  You know, your typical grandmother stuff.

Then a few minutes later, she added, “you let me know if you get tired and need a break.”  And not being one to disappoint, I called break soon thereafter —and often, ever since.

In celebration of the Spring Chicken turning ninety, our family threw a party —and if I’m involved there will be feasting!

For this event, we fired up Your Honor (my storied smoker).  The menu featured smoked chicken breast (aka: yardbird) and pork tenderloin; smoked baked beans; and a celebratory Fiesta Corn! (for information about creating Fiesta Corn click here and here).

Mother-of-Boar dazzled everyone with an array of light and crispy cookies.  And oh yes, the Spring Chicken, herself, brought two of her famous chocolate pies.  It was a feast, my friend!

In the spirt of our Spring Chicken, let’s focus on the yardbird.  Ordinarily, when we fire up the smoker, we are cooking big meat (think whole venison legs, small pigs, racks of ribs —you get the picture), but given time restraints and dietary needs —somebody suggested that a 90th birthday party shouldn’t involve a lot of bone-gnawing.

Alas, I recall years earlier that Wife-of-Boar issued the same edict when I proposed that our child’s third birthday party should include a rib-eating contest (just imagine instead of the gift-bag full of candy, each child leaves clutching butcher paper filled with saucy ribs–we could even tie a celebratory ribbon on it, if needed).

But, I digress…

Boneless chicken breasts are not naturally suited to long-form cooking (like smoking), mainly because they dry out easily.  But following this plan, we were able to create delicately moist yardbird with a hint of smoke.

When cooking poultry the most important step for keeping it moist is brining.  A brine is a mixture of salt, water and other aromatics.  I suggest placing the chicken in plastic bags with kosher salt, mandarin orange slices, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, onion, and hot sauce.  Then fill the bag with enough water to cover the chicken.  Let the chicken sit a spell —ideally, the whole eve before the party.

Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse off the residue.  Coat the chicken with olive oil and season with a dusting of black pepper and paprika (note that we don’t need additional salt because of the brine).

Because boneless chicken breasts are thin and uneven (each has a thick section and a tapered end),  I recommend creating a brick of chicken by stacking two together.  Lay one chicken breast flat on the table and layer another on top, by placing the thick section of the top chicken breast over the tapered end of the bottom one.  To cook evenly, it is important to have the meat as uniform in size as possible.

Next, when in doubt turn to a friend: bacon!   You can have a party without it, but I wouldn’t, my friend.

Bacon adds flavor and moisture to the chicken.  I suggest wrapping three strips fully around the small side of the chicken brick and then another strip laid lengthwise on top for good measure.

For the final touch, skewer slices of limes, lemons, oranges, or mandarins and then run the skewer through the bacon and brick of chicken.  These citrus umbrellas serve a functional purpose (help hold everything together); flavorful purpose (the juices flow on the chicken during cooking); and a festive purpose (a blast of color and whimsy that screams party!).

Smoke the bacon-wrapped chicken bricks adorned with citrus umbrellas until the chicken is just done through about an hour to an hour and half at 225 degrees.  Check for doneness with an instant-read meat thermometer or by cutting one of the bricks open in the center.

To serve, remove the citrus umbrellas (squeeze any remaining citrus juices on the chicken).  Next, disassemble the brick (you can either reserve the bacon for future use or slice it up and serve with the chicken).  Serve the chicken breasts whole or to make it easier for the feasters to enjoy, you can slice it in to medallions.

Stay a spring chicken, my friend.