What is a spatchcocked chicken and why do people love them?
A spatchcocked chicken, sometimes called a butterflied chicken, is a whole chicken from which you remove two bones: the spine and the keel bone. Doing so allows the bird to lay flat for cooking, both decreasing the time it takes to cook and increasing the ways to cook it.
Spatchcocking a chicken dramatically decreases the cooking time, regardless of the method. The time it takes to roast a whole chicken in the oven is cut in half, from around an hour and a half to a measly 45 minutes. Because they can lay evenly on a flat surface, spatchcocked chickens are also perfect for grilling. This also exposes more skin to the heat, rendering even more of it crispy and delicious. If you want your chicken to be fall-off the bone tender, you can even grab your biggest, deepest pan and braise the chicken on the stove or in the oven. That is, after searing the skin, of course.
Breaking down a cooked spatchcocked chicken is incredibly easy. Because many of the connecting bones are now gone, you can simply pull at the base of the thighs to separate the thighs and breasts. The breasts should require nothing more than a cut between them, providing easy portioning for a full meal.
Spatchcocking a chicken at home is surprisingly simple, too. To remove the spine, you stand the chicken on its head, running a sharp knife down both sides of the spine, all the way to the neck. If you don't feel comfortable using a knife, a pair of kitchen scissors works as well. Once you have the whole spine removed, you flip the chicken over and press down on the back of both the chicken breasts. This should expose the keel bone, located between the two breasts. It's very easy to remove with your hands, and with that, the chicken will lay flat on a surface. If you want to see an example, or have any more questions, please ask us at the meat counter! We love your questions, and were always happy to spatchcock the chicken for you, too!