Christine’s Spatchcock Roasted Chicken for Paz

September 29, 2008 | Filed Under Guest Bloggers, Christine Cooks, Fellow Bloggers, Poultry

Please help me welcome guest blogger, Christine of Christine Cooks. Thank you, Christine!

Paz

I am so thrilled that Paz has asked me to be a guest blogger while she recovers from surgery. What a kind and caring person my friend Paz is; she checks in from time to time just to see how I’m doing, and she never fails to leave a comment on my garden blog where I love surprising her with a flower, plant, or critter she hasn’t seen before.

When I posted my Sunday Night Whole Roasted Chicken recipe a while back, Paz fairly sang its praises from the rooftops of New York and re-posted it on her blog, creating quite a bit of traffic my way. That’s just the way she is, thoughtful and generous. And because Paz was so excited about my roasted chicken, I thought it would be fun to show her another method that I think she will find funny and entertaining: Spatchcocking.

Now before your minds head to the gutter, spatchcocking (and, please do visit that link for some very funny, veddy British definitions) is simply a method by which a chicken or other fowl is opened and spread flat, enabling it to cook faster and more evenly. To achieve this, you remove the backbone of the bird, lay it flat, breast side up, and crack the breast bone to flatten it out.

That’s it. Rub it all over with olive oil then sprinkle with your favorite herbs, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put it in a cast iron skillet with a glug or two of wine (red or white, it’s your choice) and roast it to perfection. Easy, simple and delicious! If you like giblets, tuck them in and around the bird so they roast together. Oh, and don’t forget to baste your bird with those tasty pan juices that will magically appear at the bottom of the skillet. Have fun with this one Paz!

To spatchcock a chicken:

Put a whole chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board.

Using poultry shears or other strong kitchen shears, begin cutting up one side of the backbone beginning at the tail end. You may have to use a bit of pressure to cut through some of the bones, especially when you get to the bones that connect the wings to the body.

When one side is fully cut, do the same thing on the other side of the backbone, starting again from the tail end.

When the backbone is completely severed from the chicken, set it aside and inspect the chicken where you made the cuts. Remove any small bones or shards laying about that could come loose in the cooking process and get stuck in a guest’s teeth or, worse, in his/her throat.

Small bone inspection done, turn your chicken over and spread it out on the cutting board as shown in the photo.

Using your hand or a meat mallet, push hard on the breast bone until it cracks or gives to the point that the chicken lies very flat on the board.

There. You’re done. You’ve just spatchcocked a chicken. Now, cook it…

Christine’s Spatchcock Roasted Chicken for Paz
Serves 4-6 chicken-loving people or 6-8 daintier eaters

Christine Cooks

Ingredients:
1 (4-5 pound) broiler or fryer chicken preferrably with giblets (free-range, veg fed is best)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons (or more) dried herbs - I used Made in Napa Valley’s Meritage Rub, which I highly recommend
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
olive oil spray for the pan
1/4 cup (a few glugs) of your favorite red or white wine

Preparation:
Rub the bird all over with good olive oil. Do the same with the giblets and the backbone if you are using them (see Cook’s Notes.)

Sprinkle all over with the herb rub, salt and pepper, pressing into the skin to help them adhere.
Lightly spray a large cast iron skillet (I used a 12-inch one, an old Wagner Ware, without which I would be one unhappy cook) with the olive oil.

Place the chicken breast side up in the skillet, arranging the legs and wings so it all fits snugly. The underside (inside) of the chicken should be flat in the skillet.

Tuck the giblets around and under the wings and neck area and lay the backbone under the legs as shown in the photo.

Pour the wine over the bird, cover the skillet with foil and place in a 375-degree oven for 45 minutes.

At the 45-minute mark, remove the foil from the skillet and baste your bird, giblets and all, with the pan juices.

Close the oven and roast for 15 more minutes, basting once again during that time.

Stick an instant-read temperature gauge in the meatiest part of the thigh; a nicely done chicken should register 160 degrees farenheit and the juices from the joints should run clear.

Remove the skillet from the oven and baste the chicken one more time before transferring it to a cutting board where you will let it rest for 10 minutes during which time the temperature will rise to 165 degrees. Remove the giblets to a plate.

Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator and decant into a warm serving bowl or pitcher.

To cut into serving pieces, using kitchen or poultry shears, divide the bird into two halves, each having a breast, wing and leg. Separate the entire leg-thigh piece and finally cut the breast into two equal halves, cross-wise, leaving the wing attached to one of the pieces. This will give you three pieces from each side, which will nicely feed six hungry people. For the more dainty eaters, separate the thigh from the leg, thus being able to share your dish with 8 guests.

Cook’s Notes:

> I love giblets and I love the tasty morsels of meat on the backbone of a chicken, especially the tiny tenderloins. If you can find them, see if you don’t agree with me.

> The corn photo? Sometimes a food photo is so delectable, it must be shared. Besides, I know Paz will like it.

Comments

23 Responses to “Christine’s Spatchcock Roasted Chicken for Paz”

Paz on September 29th, 2008 7:18 pm

Oh, my goodness! Christine, another roast chicken recipe for me to get excited about! What an interesting term, “spatchcock”. I never heard of it before but that’s what I love about having this blog — I always learn something new from you all.

Thanks for this recipe, and you’re right; I DO love the photo of the corn. Yum!

Paz
MyKitchenInHalfCups on September 29th, 2008 10:21 pm

Paz you are one really lucky girl with this chicken and that corn!
That is really beautiful.
Rosa on September 30th, 2008 12:09 am

Oh, yummy! A wonderful dish!

Cheers,

Rosa
Kalyn on September 30th, 2008 12:31 am

I’ve never done that to a chicken, not even once. I love the way it looks though, delicious. Bravo Christine, great job.
mari on September 30th, 2008 1:02 am

Paz is the sweetest! She’s a gift. I remember sseing this on Paz’s blog before. That chicken looks finger lickin’ good.
terry Rafferty on September 30th, 2008 9:54 am

Funny and entertaining, yes. Educational too - I have cookbooks that say to split and flatten a chicken, but give no idea about how to do it. Thanks for the great pictures demonstrating the process!
Simona on September 30th, 2008 2:58 pm

What a great post, Christine. I like the explanatory photos and the corn looks totally inviting. More fun with chicken for Paz.
Christine on September 30th, 2008 5:03 pm

I thought you might get a kick out of this one, Paz! Now I want to see you do one!
Janice on October 3rd, 2008 1:48 pm

Wow — that looks great. Thinking about you, Paz.
Paz on October 3rd, 2008 9:54 pm

Hi Tanna! Yes, I FEEL very lucky!

Hi Rosa: Cheers!

Hi Kalyn: It DOES look delicious, doesn’t it?

Hi there, Mari: Actually, this is a different recipe. I’ve collected a few different roast chicken recipes and they ALL taste delicious!

Hi Terry: The photo demonstrations are great. It helps me a lot.

Hi Simona: LOL! Yes, more chicken fun for me!

Hi Christine: I LOVE it! Can’t wait to make it! Thank you!

Hi Janice: It does look great indeed. Thanks for your good thoughts. It’s much appreciated.

Hugs to all,
Paz
penny pincher on October 4th, 2008 12:36 pm

hi paz and christine,

I love the chicken, it looks yum!

paz, i didn’t know you have been in hospital. get well soon xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Paz on October 4th, 2008 11:15 pm

Hi Penny Pincher: Yes, a delicious-looking chicken. I can’t wait to make my own. Thanks soooo much for your well wishes. I’m feeling so much better now and recently returned to work! Thanks a lot!

Paz oxoxo
gattina on October 5th, 2008 5:12 am

Christine, yes, the tenderloin insides that little “pockets” are the best part!
Paz, isn’t it the best season for corns now? Heavenly!
Paz on October 5th, 2008 7:50 am

Hi Gattina: Heavenly is right!

Paz xxoo
Maureen on October 5th, 2008 11:09 am

Get well Paz.

Christine, it’s been a while since I did a chicken like that so thank’s for the reminder. I didn’t mash it down into a cast iron, so I think I’ll try my oval LeCreuset. Good fall food.
sra on October 5th, 2008 1:02 pm

I’ve seen this recipe earlier on your blog, Paz! The chicken looks sooooo good! And I love that pearly corn cob there!
Paz on October 5th, 2008 8:21 pm

Hi Maureen: Welcome and thanks! Let us know how your spatchcock chicken turns out when you make it.

Hi Sra: Actually, it’s a little different from the other roasted chicken recipes that I’ve posted. Turns out that I’m amassing a nice collection of roasted chicken recipes.

Thanks, everyone, for stopping by!

Paz
Mimi on October 8th, 2008 6:51 am

Wow! This looks great. Now that I have a decent pair of kitchen scissors, maybe I can try this.
Paz on October 8th, 2008 8:15 am

Hi Mimi: Welcome! Have fun preparing your chicken and let us know how it turns out when you make it.

Paz
Mikky on October 9th, 2008 6:35 am

Christine’s Roasted Chicken looks so good… what a perfect meal!!!
Paz on October 11th, 2008 12:36 pm

Hi Mikky: It DOES look good, doesn’t it?

Paz
Ana on October 12th, 2008 3:54 pm

I have had chicken made this way and it is just absolutely delicious! I must make it at my home sometime!
Love the pictures, my mouth is watering from seeing them and reading the post!
Ana
Paz on October 12th, 2008 11:39 pm

Hi Ana: How cool that you’ve made this chicken before!

Paz

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