This is the tastiest and also cheapest way of cooking chicken, I believe. Boneless, juicy chicken with crispy skin — even better than a whole chicken. Great for parties, as you can layer it off as you need it, so if people come late or you get hungry later on after a few drinks, you're sorted. I’ve even done lamb and chicken yiros parties for my kids’ birthdays. Just get pita breads, salad, and paper bags.
CHICKEN YIROS
Ask the butcher for boneless chicken Maryland fillet, skin on or skin off. I would pre-order this at most butchers, as it is a cut they normally don’t have pre-made. I prefer skin on so you get crispy skin — and it’s also cheaper per kg than skin off.
You can fit approx. 20 kg per shaft — the pieces would be about 18–20 cm in diameter. If you are doing less than 10 kg per shaft, you can cut the fillets in half to make a smaller diameter and stretch it out on the shaft to reduce total cooking time. You can also use chicken thigh fillet, which has a smaller diameter.
You can fold over thigh fillets 2 or 3 times and skewer them onto a Brazilian churrasco sword. You’ll fit about 2 kg on one sword. Make sure the thighs are compacted together.
Season a tray with either a classic or Portuguese spice, then season each layer and place on top of each other. No need for oil, as there’s enough fat on the chicken. Also no need to leave it to marinate — you can cook straight away.
Tighten one prong or yiros disk (if you have one) on the shaft, then slide the chicken onto the shaft. Make sure the leg fillets are compacted down as best you can, then put another prong or yiros disk at the other end.
Cook on high heat all the way, with the lid above the yiros (use the 3–4 second hand rule). Start to layer off a thin section with a knife after an hour or when crispy, and keep warm in a heat pot, slow cooker, or oven. I like to use a slow cooker as a cheap, effective bain-marie — you can buy a 5-litre one at Kmart that will hold 5 kg of meat. Then cook the next layer and repeat until all the meat is gone.
Preparation time: 10–15 minutes
Cooking time: Around 4–5 hours for 20 kg of chicken Maryland (skin on)
Cooking time: Around 2 hours for 10 kg of chicken fillets cut in half for smaller diameter