Today I’m going to show you how to grill a spatchcocked chicken. This is probably my favorite way of grilling a whole chicken. Basically what spatchcocking a chicken is, is you cut out the backbone and open it up flat like a book, and then you grill it directly over the fire. You get that nice charred smokiness from cooking right over the fire.
Spatchcocking a chicken isn’t too difficult once you’ve done it once or twice, and believe me once you’ve made it once, you will want to make it again. So, depending upon how many people you are grilling for, get yourself a whole chicken or two. Whole chickens are usually about 3 ½ to 4 pounds, so you might want to get a couple if you are cooking for a bunch of people.
To spatchcock a chicken you are going to need a good pair of poultry shears. These are the ones I use. They are great; they cut through the chicken with ease. To begin, place the chicken on its breast. Take the poultry shears and start cutting at the neck lengthwise down one side of the backbone all the way to the tail. Now do the same on the other side of the backbone. Now that you have the backbone removed you can either discard it or save it for stock.
Next, flip the chicken over and fold it open like a book with the skin side down. We are going to remove the breastbone. Using a paring knife cut along both sides of the breastbone. Then just take your thumbs and run it along both sides of the breastbone and the white cartilage. You should be able to pull them out. Now you do not have to remove the breastbone if you don’t want, but it helps the chicken to lay flatter on the grill.
The chicken is now ready to be marinated, or seasoned with your favorite rub. There are tons of commercial chicken rub and marinades available, just pick your favorite. Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over medium heat. If you are using a charcoal grill I’d suggest leaving a cooler zone just in case there are flare ups.
Place the chicken on the grill skin side down. I like to place it skin side down to crisp up the skin and cook out the fat. This is another reason why I like to keep a cooler zone, because the chicken could flare up. Grill the chicken for about 12 to 15 minutes per side flipping once with a pair of long tongs. If it is getting a bit too brown lower the heat, or move it to a cooler area of the grill. It will be done when it reads 180F with an instant read thermometer put into the thickest part of the thigh. Here is the instant read thermometer I prefer.
Once it is done, transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing into it. That is how to grill a spatchcocked chicken that turns out really good. Place around with seasonings and marinades; even try adding in some smoke.
image courtesy of avlxyz/flickr