Spatchcocking: "Cutting a chicken or other type of poultry down the middle, removing the backbone, and pressing flat in preparation of roasting or grilling."
Spatchcocking is a great method for adding some amazing flavors while reducing your grilling or roasting time by nearly half!
To spatchcock a chicken, use strong kitchen shears and cut down either side of the spine. Pull out the spine, turn the chicken over and press down on the breast of the chicken, until you hear the breastbone crack, to flatten it out into an even thickness.
Here’s the marinade recipe I like to use:
- 2 Tbs Tabasco Sauce (I like the new Buffalo flavor)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbs Lemon Juice
- 2 Tbs Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbs fine sea salt
- 1/2 orange Juice
- 2 cups apple juice
Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Put the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag in a rimmed dish. Pour in half of the marinade. Seal the bag and rotate it around to evenly distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and save the marinade. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously all over with salt and pepper; let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat and stir the reserved marinade to a boil, cool, and inject into the whole chicken (see video below), then allow the chicken to rest for at least 1 hour before grilling.
Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat: For gas grills turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off one of the middle burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups.
Place the chicken skin-side up on the indirect side of the grill with the legs facing the hotter side. Cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 150 to 160 degrees F (almost cooked through), about 50 minutes.
Move the chicken over to the direct-heat side of the grill.
After 2 minutes, flip the chicken to char and crisp up the skin side, another 3 or 4 minutes. Check that the temperature in the thigh is now at least 165 degrees F.
If it is not, then move the chicken back to the indirect side, cover and cook until the final temperature is reached.
Remove from the grill; let rest 20 minutes before carving.
How to Spatchcock a Chicken