I roast a whole chicken about once a month, and the baking process takes a long time (about 2 hours for a 6 lb bird!). My grandparents gifted me some nice kitchen shears (they're also about $10-15 online) and I wanted to try spatchcocking to decrease the amount of time I'm doing dinner in the kitchen.
Spatchcocking is the process of removing the backbone of chicken (or turkey, or game hen, basically any poultry) so it lays flat and cooks faster. In addition to roasting, it's a great way to grill a whole chicken. That 2 hour wait time for me was cut in half to 1 hour (but it depends on the weight of the bird). I seared the chicken in a cast iron pan before baking it, and while this turned out successfully, my chicken didn't lay totally flat because it barely fit in my large skillet (a 4-5 lb bird would have fit better in my case). In the future, I will lay it on a wire rack on a baking sheet with some vegetables underneath it. I'll be honest: I didn't take any pictures with the chicken in the skillet because it didn't look quite right!
Instructions:
1) Locate the backbone on the chicken, which should be underneath (breast side down, legs facing away from you) and directly down the middle.
2) Using sharp kitchen shears, start at the end and cut right against the right side of the backbone until you reach the opposite end.
Please excuse my inability to cut in a straight line!
3) Repeat the process cutting along the left side and remove the backbone completely. Don't throw it out! Save it to help add flavor to your chicken stock
4) Your chicken won't lay flat just yet. Take your knife and press down about 1/2 inch through the small bone between breasts. You can also flip the chicken over and press down on the breast side until you hear a crack, and it should lay flat.
Ready to roast or grill!
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