Spatchcock

  Posted on February 9, 2012  by Leslie Blythe  2 comments

A spatchcock, otherwise known as “spattlecock”, is poultry or game that is prepared for roasting or grilling by removing the backbone and sternum of the bird and flattening it out before cooking.   It has the advantage of cooking a lot more evenly and faster.

To remove the backbone and flatten a bird out is to butterfly the bird. Spatchcock is the traditional word for the French term “poussin”, a juvenile chicken. Spatchcock were generally butterflied in preparation for faster more succulent flame cooking rather than slow roasting, hence the English confusion.

In Australia, a Spatchcock refers to a small chicken such as a poussin.

How to Spatchcock a Chicken
1 whole chicken
salt and pepper

Place chicken on a flat surface breast side down, legs facing away from you. With kitchen shears or a very sharp knife, cut out the neck bone all the way to the butt by cutting down one side of the neck bone and then repeat on the other side.

Turn chicken over and press flat, season and grill or bake as desired.

Herbed Marinated Spatchcocked Chicken

Serves 4

1 spatchcocked chicken, or 4 chicken breasts, free-range or organic
a bunch of thyme
a bunch of fresh rosemary
8 cloves of garlic, skins left on
8 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil
a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, washed and thinly sliced
2 glasses of Chardonnay

Open the chicken like a book, press flat and place in a roasting tray. In a pestle and mortar or with a rolling pin and a metal bowl, bash and bruise the flavor out of the herbs, squash in the garlic cloves and pour in the olive oil. Mix and rub all over the chicken they lay it out flat, skin-side up, and grate over half the ginger.

If you have time, leave it for a couple of hours to marinate.

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Season the chicken well after marinating and place it in the preheated over for 30 minutes. Remove and lay the lemon slices over the chicken, then grate the rest of the ginger all over. Tilt the tray and spoon over all the lovely cooking oils before adding the wine to the tray and cooking for another 20 minutes or until nice and golden and cooked through – the juices should run clear. Alternatively, you can use chicken breasts and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving.