Cupboard Love: Barbecued Mustard Chicken

I’m swamped – family visits: 2 sisters, 3 kids. Fun but swamped.

I’m writing in a hurry……knowing well my attention will be needed soon, and closing my ears to the deafening noise of 6 children!

But this post is not a moan about how tired I am, its all about Cupboard love. I’m on mission to use up the contents of my food stores!

Thanks to NMD, I have one less ‘ expired’ jar of something. Oh yes, my blackcurrant mustard read ‘Best before June 2010’  but it didn’t say ‘No good after June 2010’  so I used it (after smelling it and gun sighting it…..it looked good).

So, knowing very well how to make easy BBQ chicken, I opened up mine by splitting across the breast – not your traditional ‘spatchcock’ where the back bone and breast bone/cartilage are removed.

I immersed it in an overnight marinade of mustard, maple syrup, refrigerator-dried rosemary (new recipe, read on) and fresh thyme.

The next day, chicken blazing on the grill and almost ready to eat, I realised I should have opened up the legs and wings as I wrestled them open to cook….most of the other parts were ready!

I also wanted to try ‘brick’  chicken

Using bricks we have stashed at the back. Not from this wall mind you…. I love this photo. Do you? Don’t you?

Eventually, everything cooked superbly well (supported by foil-wrapped bricks), with only a few burnt bits, promptly dispensed with at the table. I made sure that when I flipped the chicken over, I flipped the bricks too.

Husband proclaimed it delicious, he could taste the marinade. I liked the taste of the mustard which was present but subdued, enhanced by the smokiness of the fire.

Daughters ate well, with the freshly boiled corn on the cob, one daughter hates boiled carrots and butter but  had to eat them as I slowly explained to her that boiled carrots were more nutritious than raw, which she loves and that butter helped the carrots ‘work in her body’. I’ve promised her a raw green salad at the next meal.

The other daughter loves corn, and is so so with other veggies but she ate it all.

Son ate bits.

Recipe for fridge-dried rosemary

Buy some fresh rosemary

Forget it in the fridge for weeks

When you remember, it will be dried

Still fragrant and perfect for recipes such as this.

Cupboard & fridge love…..to the highest!

BTW,  I tried to make my own mustard: disaster, it ended in the food bin. Back to the drawing board!

My family go back on Sunday….I’ll see if I can sneak something else in before then.

How are you? Enjoying the last of the summer wine.

Oh,  the grand draw of the food52/wholefoods summer contest is on – vote for me if you can! Thank you.

Lots of ♥.[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Cupboard Love: Barbecued Mustard Chicken – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]