Mike LangChicken, Grilling

The Spatchcock Chicken

Mike LangChicken, Grilling

I am a big proponent of week night grilled chickens.  While a turn of the rotisserie is always nice, the time to "roto" a bird is sometimes premium, especially Monday through Thursday.  So when the schedule dictates, I move to my second preferred way of grilling a whole bird, the spatchcock.  

Spatchcock Chicken on Grill

Whereas a whole chicken, around 3-5 pounds, can take upwards of 90 minutes to cook, a spatchcocked bird, thanks to the increase surface area hitting the grill, can finish in half that.  Speaking of surface area, since spatchcocking "spreads" the bird open, this preparation also lends itself nicely to marinades.  

The spatchcock process is dead simple: remove the backbone, snap the breast bone, and lay the chicken flat.  The only tool needed is a pair of poultry shears.

Place the bird in front of you, breast side down.

Spatchcock Chicken

Using the shears, cut up one side of the backbone.

Spatchcock Chicken Cut

Cut up the other side of the backbone.

Spatchcock Chicken Cut 2

Remove the backbone.

Spatchcock Chicken Backbone Removal

Spread the cavity open.

Spatchcock Chicken Cavity Spread

To make snapping the breast bone easier, slice down right in the middle of the "V notch.

Spatchcock Chicken Breastbone Cut

And snap.

Spatchcock Chicken Snap

Flip the bird over and continue to press flat.

Spatchcock Chicken

From this point, you can either skewer the bird horizontally (to give stability when moving the bird from plate to grill to plate) or leave it un-skewered, like above.  I've prepared chickens both ways and frankly, prefer it without the skewers.  It's just one less thing to clean.

Rub

To finish up, season or marinade the chicken.  Then, hit the grill. 

Thanks to a little poultry surgery know how, time should never again stop a weeknight chicken.

Now not to get personal, but do you spatchcock?