What is spatchcocking?
Spatchcocking is a way of cooking poultry where you remove the spine and flatten the chicken. This speeds up the cooking time and helps make the whole chicken more crispy.
Equipment needed
–Poultry Shears or Chef’s Knife (much easier with shears)
-Paper Towels
-Cutting Board
How to Spatchcock a Chicken
Prep The Chicken
-In the sink wash your bird off and pat dry with a paper towel
-Place your chicken on the cutting board with the spine facing upwards
-Locate the back bone and position the chicken so the tail is facing you
Remove the Backbone and Score the Breastbone
-Using kitchen shears or a chef’s knife, cut either side of the backbone from tail to neck
-Repeat on the other side to fully remove the back bone
-If you still want to get use out of the backbone you can use if for making a stock
-After removing the backbone, position the chicken so you can see the breastbone and place a small cut in the breast bone. This isn’t a required step, but it does help make the next step easier
Flatten the Chicken
-Place the chicken so the breast bone is facing the cutting board
-Place your hands down the middle of the breasts similar to how you would give someone cpr
-Using your bodyweight, firmly press down on the chicken like you are giving a chest compression
-You should hear the breast bone separate and the chicken should now be flattened
Marinate the chicken for up to 72 hours or Cook Immediately
You can check out some of my spatchcock chicken recipes here
Regardless of marinade used the chicken can marinate up to 72 hours before cooking and the cooking process will be the same. I recommend marinating atleast 4 hours, however, the chicken will still come out good regardless.
Cooking the Chicken
-Cook for 45-60 minutes at 450°F
-If using a food thermometer, cook until the thickest part of the bird reaches 165°F
-Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before breaking down. During this time the juices reabsorb back into the meat and cutting into it early will make the juices go everywhere
-After 10 minutes you can cut the chicken and serve
