Grilled Chicken with Gravy

Sooo, we did a thing last week.  We left our sweatshirts and raincoats behind and headed to the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic!  I feel like I'm a better photographer than I am a writer - so I'll just let my pictures tell the story of this fabulous vacation.  

A good dose of vitamin D was exactly what this girl needed this month.  My better half secretly planned this amazing vacation for us and he did an exceptionally good job of keeping it a complete surprise from me until Christmas morning. 🤫 To say that I was excited would be an understatement.  I'm pretty sure I was ready to start packing my suitcase on Christmas morning.  ✈️

I'm normally a pretty healthy eater but this vacation, on top of the holidays, really did me in this year. 😬The trays of warm, gingerbread cookies, the endless holiday sweets and treats and the never ending Caribbean buffets got the best of me. 🧁 Can you blame me, really?  Who could resist that kind of temptation? 😅 My healthy eating went right out the window.  

Now that I'm back at home - it's time to get myself in gear. Turns out, having squeeze to this very pale, sugar addicted body into a bathing suit in the middle of January, was exactly the motivation that I needed to get my healthy diet back on track.  👙😂 

Normally, when I'm eating healthy, I steer clear of any recipe with the word "gravy" in it.  ​Traditional gravy is made by adding the rendered fat from cooked meat to stock or water along with some seasonings.  It's normally high in fat and not typically what I'd classify as a "healthy" food.  I've actually tried to make gravy that was lower in fat but it comes out tasteless and bland every time.  

Leave it to America's Test Kitchen to come up with a way of making gravy that's super rich and flavorful but lower in fat.  👍🏻 The combination of vegetables, white wine, and fresh herbs really makes this sauce stand out from the rest.  I'm not trying to dismiss the fact that this gravy is made with a tablespoon of butter but I feel like it's healthier than most.  After all, the goal is to ease myself back into a better eating plan.  😉

Grilled Chicken with Gravy
4 pound chicken
1 1/2 teaspoons oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
4 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon flour

Place chicken, breast side down, on cutting board and use scissors to remove backbone.  Reserve backbone.

Flatten chicken with hand.  Poke holes in chicken 3/4" apart with a paring knife. 

Rub 1/2 t. oil over skin and sprinkle with 1 t. salt and pepper.

Flip chicken and sprinkle with 1/2 t. salt. 

Tie legs together with twine and tuck wings under breasts.  

Heat grill until smoking.  Place chicken, on grill, skin side up.  Grill 20 minutes.

Flip chicken and continue to grill until temperature reaches 155 degrees.  

Cut backbone into 1 inch pieces.  Bring 1 cup broth and reserved giblets, neck and backbone pieces to a simmer.  Cook until liquid evaporates and bottom browns.   

Add onion, carrot, celery, parsley, thyme and garlic and cook 7-8 minutes.

Stir in wine and bring to a simmer.  Add 3 cups broth and bring to a simmer.   Cook until reduced by half.  (20 min.)

Pour stock through strainer.  

Melt butter in skillet.  Add flour and cook 5-8 minutes.  

Slowly whisk in stock.  Bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes until thickened.

Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest 15 minutes. 

Carve chicken and serve with gravy.

It's amazing how quickly I slip out of the habit of preparing nutritious meals and how much effort it takes to get myself  back into a healthy eating routine.  Recipes like this juicy and delicious grilled chicken make it just a little bit easier to get myself back on track though.  Hope you enjoy.  

Ciao!

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