2011, Recipe 73: Grilled Chicken and Radicchio with Roasted Garlic Herb Dressing

Recipe courtesy of  Tyler Florence

1 head of garlic, cut in half at the equator (suggest using center)

kosher salt

extra-virgin olive oil

2 whole fresh thyme sprigs, plus leaves from 6 sprigs

2 lemons, juiced

2 lemon halves

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 4 - 4 /12 pound chicken, cut into 10 similar sized pieces

freshly ground black pepper

1 medium head of radicchio, preferably Treviso, cut into quarters

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut a piece of aluminum foil about 12 inches long. Cut 1 or 2 heads of garlic in half at the equator (suggest center), and set on one half of the foil. Add 2 teaspoons water on the garlic, drizzle on some olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and add 2 springs of thyme.

Make a tight foil packet by enclosing the garlic and folding in both the top and the sides 2 or 3 times to seal. Roast the packet in the oven for 30 minutes, or until garlic is soft.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Cut up 1 chicken (around 4 pounds, skin-on) into 10 similarly-sized pieces. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Put the pieces in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss well to coat and refrigerate until you're ready to cook the chicken.

Take one medium head of radicchio (preferably Treviso), and cut into quarters. Place radicchio in a new bowl, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Take out the garlic packet from oven. Open it and let the garlic cool a bit, then squeeze out the cloves into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup olive oil, juice of 2 lemons, 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, and leaves from 6 springs of thyme. Puree everything together to make a thick dressing.

Put the chicken on the grill, skin side down, along with the radicchio and grill them together. Cook the radicchio for about 2 minutes per side until it has a nice char, then take it off the grill and set aside to cool. Grill the chicken for about 20 minutes. Turn once and baste with about half of the garlic-herb dressing.

Keep cooking until the chicken is nice and brown all over, about 15 to 20 more minutes (an instant-read thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh should read 160 degrees F.) During the last few minutes, throw 2 lemon halves on the grill, cut sides down, and cook until smoky and just marked.

When chicken is finished cooking, toss the chicken and radicchio with remainder the roasted garlic-herb dressing. Squeeze grilled lemon all over chicken and serve.

Results: The dressing was good though I thought the garlic flavor was a bit too mellow.  The chicken was good.  The radicchio was BITTER!!!  OMG IT WAS BITTER!!  Grilling is supposed to mellow it out.  You needed the dressing and grilled lemon for it to be palatable.