Spatchcocking ensures even cooking in a shorter time than cooking a whole bird and is an impressive way of cooking chicken on a barbecue. It creates a greater surface area for marinades to soak in and a bigger area to crisp up.
How to spatchcock a chicken
Guides |
June 2013
Spatchcocking ensures even cooking in a shorter time than cooking a whole bird and is an impressive way of cooking chicken on a barbecue. It creates a greater surface area for marinades to soak in and a bigger area to crisp up.
- With good kitchen scissors, snip off the wing tips and leg knuckles at the joint.
- Turn the chicken breast-down and, starting at the parson’s nose (the arrowhead-shaped tail-end), cut along the backbone to the neck on one side. Repeat down the other side, then remove the backbone.
- Turn the chicken over and, with the heel of your hand, press down firmly on the centre. You’ll hear the wishbone snap and the chicken will flatten out.
- If you need to, point the thighs inwards (so the chicken is doing a Charleston), then roast at 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 for about 45 minutes or until the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer.
See recipe for spatchcocked chicken here
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