SpatchCock Chicken
Serves 4
What to Pair With
So you love whole roasted chicken, but it can take quite a bit of time and the results aren’t always perfect. The breast meat is often overcooked to allow the dark meat to fully cook.
The way to better results, shorter cooking time and crispier skin is to flatten out the chicken. The method is to cut out the backbone with a good pair of kitchen shears, and flatten out the bird. Thus to ‘spatchcock’ or ‘butterfly’ the chicken.
In case you were wondering, the origins of the word is said to come from 18th century Ireland, where to ‘dispatch a cock’ was to flatten out a bird for faster cooking. There is some debate on this however. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1/2 cup chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Arrange a wire rack inside a sheet tray lined with foil.
Cut out the backbone of the bird on a cutting board.
Flip it over and with the palm of your hand, push down the center of the breast to flatten the bird.
The crack you hear is the wishbone breaking.
Make a paste of the mustard, oil, herbs and seasoning. Rub it all over both sides of the bird.
Place the chicken on the center of the wire rack.
Cook about 45 minutes. Using a probe thermometer, check that the thickest part of the breast is at least 150 degrees and the leg near where the joint meets the body is at least 170 degrees.
Cover with foil and let it rest 10 min.
Cut into sections and enjoy.
Tip: save the backbone for making stock!
Chris Chisholm is a Certified Specialist of Wine and a graduate of Boston University Wine Studies and Wine Making programs. He is also a graduate of Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver, CO. He has worked as a personal chef and chef instructor.
If you have any questions, email Chris at chris@snugharborwine.com. You can also follow Chris on Instagram @winechefchris for more delicious food photos!