1/4 teaspoon nutmeg pieces (crack a whole nutmeg with a hammer)
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3 habanero or Scotch bonnet chiles, or to taste, seeded if you like and minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon salt, or more to taste
1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
Instructions
Put the allspice, nutmeg, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook, shaking the pan often, until toasted and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the spices to a spice or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl, add the paprika, sugar, scallions, garlic, ginger, chiles, thyme, and 1 tablespoon salt and stir to combine.
Butterfly the chicken: With the bird on a cutting board, breast facing up, use a heavy knife or sharp scissors to cut inside the cavity along each side of the backbone, working from the neck down. Once the backbone is removed (freeze it for making stock if you like), spread the chicken out (skin side up), and flatten it by pressing on either side of the breastbone with your hands. Put the chicken in a nonreactive dish large enough to hold it laid flat and rub the marinade on all surfaces on the chicken. Cover tightly with plastic. Refrigerate for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.
Set up a charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking over medium heat and put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source. Or heat a large grill pan over 2 burners until smoking hot. Put the chicken on the cool side of the grill, skin side up and as flat as you can manage. Cover and cook, adding more coals if necessary to keep the fire steady at medium until most of the fat has been rendered and the bird looks pretty much cooked, 20 to 25 minutes. At this point, move the chicken directly over the fire and brown, turning frequently. Grill the lime halves the same way. If the fire flares up, return the bird to the cooler part of the grill.
When the chicken is browned and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads at least 155°F, 40 to 60 minutes total, remove it from the grill. Let it rest for a few minutes. To carve, put the bird on a sturdy cutting board and with a cleaver, boning knife, or heel of a large knife, free the wings from the carcass at the joint and discard the wing tips; separate the thighs and drumsticks, then halve the thighs horizontally and cut off the bony end of the drumstick and discard; finally, separate the breasts, cut each into 3-inch wide pieces crosswise, and serve on a platter.