Spatchcock Chicken
It is not always possible to slow roast a chicken. Maybe there is some heavy rain coming in (not that weather stops me) or you get back from an errand late. More likely for me, I am trying to see as much sport as possible and do not have enough time. Spatchcocking your bird is a great way to still enjoy barbecued roast chicken when short on time.
Spatchcocking or butterflying is basically to remove the backbone of the chicken and to flatten it slightly by breaking the rib a little. This will allow the bird to cook faster than normal by increasing the surface area and reducing the depth that the heat has to penetrate into the flesh.
This is a time saving recipe, so the ingredients for this one are pretty basic and don’t require too much prep. Don’t even worry too much about the measurements! Just go by your gut. The sooner you get the bird cooking the sooner you eat.
Ingredients and Tools
What you are going to need at a minimum for the dry rub is:
- Course black pepper corns
- Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
- Dried garlic powder
- Optionally some olive oil to help it stick
Add to this anything you have handy such as cumin, dried herbs, turmeric or ginger. If you like it spicier, add some chilli flakes.
You will also need a strong scissors for cutting the spine out of the bird. A normal household pair may not be good enough; you need the kitchen or garden variety to do a good job.
Depending on the size of the bird you might need a few wooden skewers also to help keep the bird flat. Pre-soak these in water while you light the coals. If you have metal skewers, no need to soak them!
Spatchcocking
Do this before you put on the dry rub or you will lose most of the flavours. Have the dry rub mixed and ready to go with the scissors and skewers handy.
Flip the chicken over so that the breasts are face down. Get your scissors and make two cuts from one end of the bird to the other on either side of the backbone.
The backbone can be used with the remains of the carcass to make chicken bone broth, but if that’s not your thing it can be disposed of now.
Flip the bird back over so the breasts are up and apply pressure with the heel of your hands downwards. The ribs should crack a little as the entire chicken becomes flatter.
You can use the skewers to hold the chicken as flat as possible. Force one through from the leg, through the breast diagonally all the way to the wing. Repeat with another diagonal skewer the other way.
Now add the dry rub using the olive oil if needed to help it stick a little better.
With practice, you should get able to get this done in a few minutes while the barbecue is still lighting. Now it’s time to cook.
Cooking
As usual, this works best with indirect heat, cooked slowly. The coals should be at one side and the chicken at the other. If you have some wood chips, place them on some foil over the heat.
Place a drip tray under the chicken and fill with a liquid of your choice. Beer with a few slices of lemon and a garlic clove works well. Cover and enjoy a beer yourself, maybe. You earned it.
Time will still vary but expect the chicken to cook in about half to two thirds of the time as a normal roast. I usually rotate a few times while cooking and aim to get the breast temperature to about 80˚C and the thighs even hotter when measured with a fast read probe thermometer.
Crisping
When the slow roasting stage is almost over, I like to crisp the skin a little by moving the chicken directly over the flames with the breasts face down over the heat. There should still be enough heat in the coals to really get a good sizzle going.
Don’t overdo it as it does not take long to get crispy and even shorter to go from crispy to burned.
This is a delicious and quick way to roast a whole chicken when you are short on time.