What Is Spatchcocking?
According to the actual dictionary, “spatchcock” is defined as “a fowl split and grilled usually immediately after being killed and dressed”. But colloquially, spatchcocking a chicken is the process of removing the backbone of a whole chicken so that the bird lays flat, regardless of whether or not you plan to grill it. We love spatchcocked chickens roasted, grilled, cooked over an open flame—as far as we’re concerned, there’s no wrong way to cook a spatchcocked chicken.
Reasons To Spatchcock A Chicken
Wondering why to spatchcock a chicken? Well, here are a few very good reasons to spatchcock that bird:
- Faster cooking: in a 450°F oven, a regular, whole chicken takes an hour and a half to roast. A whole chicken that's been spatchcocked takes half of that—it’s ready in just about 40 minutes. Magic!
- More even cooking: with that chicken all spread out in a flat, even layer, the cooking happens quickly and evenly.
- Extra flavor: more surface area is exposed, so the bird is easier to season in every last nook and cranny.
The #1 Kitchen Tool You Need To Spatchcock A Chicken
Kitchen shears! A great, sturdy pair of kitchen shears comes in handy for many things, but they really earn their keep when it comes to jobs like this. Yes, you COULD use a very sharp chef's knife, but spatchcocking is much, much easier if you have kitchen shears. Plus, once you get the hang of spatchcocking, your roast chicken (or grilled chicken game) will be so stepped up and speedy, you'll be wanting to make spatchcock chicken on the regular, so might as well invest in some shears. Did we talk you into it yet?
Spatchcock Chicken: To Roast Or To Grill
How about all of the above?! Seasoned with just salt and pepper, a spatchcocked chicken cooked on the grill is just about as easy and perfect as dinner can be. But if you want something a little more snazzy, these spatchcock chicken recipes are pretty great to get you started:
- Roasted Tandoori Chicken
- Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken
- Za'atar Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (this recipe calls for chicken pieces, but try the same preparation with a spatchcocked chicken—it’ll be delicious!)
