Grilled Rosemary Garlic Chicken

Meet Rosemary Garlic Chicken on a Cast Iron Skillet.  Please take an extra moment for the name of the recipe to sink in.  It is that good.

Have you ever made a recipe where everyone in the family goes “ok, this is better than any restaurant chicken I have ever had?”

Let’s just start with my love for cooking and grilling on cast iron. Oh my gosh! I thought my All Clad pans would remain my favorite, but cooking on cast iron just cannot be beat!

Everything that I cook on it just seems to come out caramelized and delicious!!! My mom introduced me to cast iron years ago when we first made an apple pie on the Big Green Egg.  That had me hooked and haven’t looked back! 

🧑‍🍳 Equipment

Nothing holds heat and glazes food like a nice cast iron skillet! I use my 12” every single day when I sauté vegetables for dinner, so it has a permanent spot on the stove top. Cook, clean, stove top. That’s the rotation.  It never gets stored in the cabinet anymore – not even when guests stop by.

I’ve written several times about how we like to preserve our budget for travel rather than eating out at restaurants. It’s Saturday night and most of my friends are out eating at a restaurant.  I have no doubt that they spent upwards of $100. Blech!

🍲 Preparation

The only prep work is to create the super simple oil mixture.  

Mix together the minced garlic, rosemary and olive oil together in a small container and set aside.

🔥 Grilling Instructions

Step One: Set up the grill for direct heat and set the temperature to 500 degrees. This is a hot-and-fast grill.

Step Two: Place the empty Cast Iron Skillet on the grate. Once the skillet has had time to heat up, add the chicken thighs (skin side down) and reduce the heat to 425. You want that hot skillet to immediately sear the skin-side of the chicken thighs.

Step Three: Let the chicken cook for 15 minutes and then brush it with the garlic, rosemary and olive oil mixture.  Be very careful, as the chicken will be splattering a bit and might just burn your hands.  Don’t ask me how I know that. On a completely unrelated note, here is a post on my favorite long cuff grill gloves!

Step Four: After brushing, flip the over chicken and brush a bit more of the mixture on top. Continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

💡 Recipe Tips

• Add or reduce garlic for your tastes. We love it and found that the two cloves were just perfect for four thighs.
• We love fresh herbs but will use dried out of season.  We grow a lot of herbs through the summer.  We dry them and then have our favorites in jars in the cupboard.
• This works perfect in the oven as well. The skin will get slightly less golden brown but the taste is virtually the same. I’ve made it in the oven several times and it is quite tasty!
• I would use this recipe for friends, neighbors or when you have them over for dinner. It is quick, easy, and appetizing so you can pay attention to your guests.

Until next time, enjoy!