Spatchcock Chicken

Spatchcock Chicken

Cost: $
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: ~45 min (use thermometer)

Don't be intimidated to buy a whole chicken. Spatchcock is an easy technique to cook a whole chicken in the oven or on the grill. Keep this recipe handy for those quick, cheap, and delicious weeknight meals. Add some variety by switching out the seasoning for a different flavor each time. However, I find myself reaching for the Old Bay seasoning most of the time. 

Ingredients

1 whole Chicken, thawed completely

1 tsp oil 

1-2 tbsp favorite seasoning

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Take chicken out of the packaging and ensure you remove the inerds (inerds could be gizzard, heart, liver, or any other organs supplied with the chicken)
3. Put chicken breast side down. Cut with sharp knife or kitchen sheers along both sides of backbone. 
4. Turn over chicken, spreading the area that you just cut. Press down firmly to flatten chicken. You may hear a pop. 
5. Dry skin with a paper towel. 
6. Spray or rub the oil on the skin. 
7. Literally, sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken. 
8. Insert temperature monitor and cook chicken to 160° internal temp.
9. Remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let sit for 5 min. 

Gadgets, Appliances, & Tools

• Kitchen Sheers
• Meat Thermometer

Notes

• The number one rule for cooking good, juicy chicken, consistently, is a cooking thermometer. Oven temperature and starting temperature of the chicken can be challenging variables to manage leading to over cooking or under cooking the chicken. 
• Kitchen sheers make cutting out the backbone much easier. It can be done with a knife but watch out for your fingers.
• Nearly, any kind of cooking oil can be used as a binder. I prefer duck fat spray. Lately, I have been using mayonnaise (Hellmans).
• When choosing a seasoning, choose what your family likes. Old Bay is my favorite for chicken. I know, I thought it was only for fish, too. Here are some seasoning recipes to take it to the next level.