Friday, January 10, 2025

Spatchcocked Chicken



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The new trend hitting all the cooking shows is called Spatchcocking a chicken.  I’m not that trendy but I finally got on board yesterday when I decided to try it.  Why not?  Looks easy enough?  But does it make a difference?  OMG yes. I can't tell you why this chicken is so good...I can tell you that not only is it good, it’s finger licking good …melt in your mouth good. Crazy good.  Why?  Because it is so moist and tender and so flavorful you think you’ve never had a good chicken til this one.  

 

What is Spatchcocking?

To spatchcock a chicken is to remove the backbone, thus allowing it to be completely opened out and flattened. Doing this reduces the cooking time significantly and ensures that a whole chicken cooks evenly. Since different parts of the chicken cook at different rates, whole roast chicken often ends up with overcooked chicken breast meat and undercooked dark meat. So, you get a moist and evenly cooked chicken in no time!


How to Spatchcock a Chicken.

Place chicken on a large cutting board and Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Arrange the chicken breast-side down on the cutting board with the neck facing towards you.


 

 

 Using good-quality kitchen shears holding the neck and cut along one side of the chicken spine, separating it from the ribs. Be sure to cut as close to the spine as you can so that you do not end up discarding any more of the chicken meat than necessary. Repeat on the other side of the spine. If you are having difficulty getting through the bird, rotate it so that the tail faces you and cut from the other side.


Flip the chicken so that the breasts face upward and the chicken legs face outward. Using the palm of your hands, press along the breast bone. You might hear a small crack. This should flatten the chicken completely.  Note: Reserve the spine for homemade chicken stock.

 

What are the benefits of Spatchcocking?

 

  • No trussing or kitchen twine required – does anyone enjoy trussing poultry? The answer is no. 

 

  • Since the chicken lays completely flat, all of the chicken skin is exposed to the heat of the oven. this yields super crispy, caramelized skin over the entirety of the bird.

 

  • The trickiest part of roasting a chicken is timing. White meat (the breasts) cooks and dries out faster than dark meat (legs and thighs). With a traditional trussed chicken, it can be hard not to overcook the breasts as the legs finish cooking. Since spatchcocked birds lay completely flat, this method produces even cooking in both the breasts and legs. The unevenness of your oven heat is actually the reason why this works so well.

 

  • Spatchcocking significantly reduces roasting time. To the point where you can realistically roast a chicken on a busy weeknight. A 5-lb chicken takes about an hour to roast. A traditional trussed chicken of this size would take upwards of 1 hour and 45 minutes.

 

  • Since spatchcocked poultry cooks faster (more surface area, more heat exposure), this allows you to roast at higher temperatures, which also helps yield perfectly golden, crispy skin.

 

  • Spatchcocked poultry is easier to carve. The shape of chicken makes it much easier to remove the legs properly and remove the breasts from the bone.

 

  • Easier to season consistently, as the poultry lays completely flat. You don’t have to worry about not reaching every crevice of the cavity or getting behind every nook and cranny. It’s all out in the open.

 

My Recipe for Spatchcocked Chicken

4-5 lb whole chicken

1 stick of butter, softened

extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

tablespoon chopped fresh or dried thyme

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

 

 Remove giblets and pat the chicken with paper towels to absorb any moisture. Spatchcock the chicken as directed above.  




Rub the entire chicken top and bottom with softened butter making sure you don’t miss any parts.  I like to lift the skin on top and slide some softened butter under there too. As it melts, it will baste the chicken.


 Once the chicken is coated in butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Make sure you are liberal with both and flip the bird over and get the bottom.  In a small bowl mix together the rosemary, thyme, garlic powder and onion powder until blended.  Sprinkle entire chicken with the mixture until it is well covered top and bottom.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle chicken with rosemary, thyme, garlic powder and onion powder until it is well covered on top and bottom.  Finally, sprinkle with smoked paprika. This will give the chicken a slightly smokey flavor and delicious flavor.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Line your pan with parchment paper or foil or both.  Lay your chicken out flat on the pan. Do not cover.  

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake the chicken for 50 – 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F.  Remove from oven and allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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