spatchcocked chicken

How To Spatchcock A Chicken

May 1, 2022 5 Comments

Once you know how to spatchcock a chicken you’ll never roast one the same way again.

How To Spatchcock A Chicken

From the recipe collection of Tara Ippolito

Once you learn how to spatchcock a chicken it will change the way you roast one forever.

Not only does it look fanatic, because it really does. I absolutely love this presentation.

But there’s actually more to it then just looks.

roasted sparchcoked chicken

Spatchcocking a chicken has a point besides looking gorgeous.

The meat is cooked evenly and the skin crisps up to perfection using this method.

Did I mention that it cooks faster, too?

Roasted chicken on its own is such a classic. How many times have you eaten or made one in your lifetime?

cooked spatchcocked chicken

I’m willing to bet that number is high.

Spatchcocking a chicken is an interesting new way to make an old favorite.

I know if you give it a try, you’ll love it too!

crispy roasted potatoes side dish

Serve this along side some Crispy Roasted Potatoes and roasted broccoli. They’re a perfect match.

Why spatchcock a chicken?

We already determined that spatchcocking a chicken makes for a beautiful presentation but that’s not all.

Theres actually good reason to do it besides looks.

  • Meat cooks evenly
  • Skin gets crispy
  • Saves time

Spatchcocking a chicken will help the chicken cook more evenly on the flat surface. The light and dark meat are done at the exact same time.

So there’s no dry, over cooked pieces.

The skin crisps up evenly, too. There’s nothing worse then mushy chicken skin if you ask me.

This way all the skin has a the same amount of heat and that’s really important for overall crispiness.

Cutting the chicken and roasting it flat also saves time.

The heat of the oven flows all around the chicken evenly. The meat will take less time to finish cooking.

Spatchcocking a chicken can shave up to 25% of your totally cook time off.

What to do with the discarded chicken pieces

Don’t throw away the spine and wing tips that we remove during the spatchcocking process.

removed spine from chicken

I like to add them to a large freezer bag and save them for the next time I make stock.

I also like to keep any carrot, onion and celery scraps for this, too.

chicken wing tips being removed

They freeze so well and are perfect for when you need them.

How to spatchcock a chicken video

How to spatchcock a chicken instructions

First, remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken.

Now using a great pair of kitchen scissor or a sharp ser, cut down the spine of the chicken on each side.

cutting the spine out of the chicken

Remove the spine completely.

removed spine from chicken

Flip the chicken over and turn the legs inward.

spatchcocked chicken raw

Now cut off the wing tips. They always burn in my opinion so I just remove them completely.

Then dry the chicken with a paper towel or dish towel to remove any moisture.

patting the chicken dry

Finally, season the chicken however you’d like and roast it.

finish roasted spatchcocked chicken

Dessert ideas

Here are some super easy dessert ideas now that you’ve got dinner covered.

mini apple pie dessert suggestion
Tara Ippolito

About Al Dente Diva

Tara Ippolito is a self taught home cook from New Jersey and cookbook author of Fast, Simple, Delicious. Better known as “T” across social media, she makes easy to follow recipes using familiar ingredients. T uses her Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest channels to share recipes and cooking tips for everyday people. Her motivation to share with her followers is simple. To inspire people to cook and become more comfortable in the kitchen.

As a wife and busy mother of two little boys she she’s always cooking fast family friendly meals. Sharing her kitchen with others that want to learn is a true passion of hers. As her social media platforms continue to grow she is committed to delivering consistently delicious content to her followers.

Al Dente Diva

Hello there! My name is T & I’m a home cook from New Jersey. I love to share easy to make recipes, cooking tips & kitchen hacks with people who love to cook like I do. My recipes are all easy to follow & use ingredients most people are familiar with. Being a busy stay at home mother of two, I have to cook delicious budget friendly meals that are fast to make. I hope you find something helpful here. Thanks for coming by.

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5 Comments

  • Patrick May 2, 2022 at 1:23 pm

    I think an addendum should be added to the pics. The part about cracking the breastplate should be added for the benefit of those who don’t watch the video. That’s an important part in order to get the chicken to lay flat and cook evenly. Anyone just going by the pics wouldn’t know to do that. I generally follow along with just the pics, but I knew the cracking part was missing. Glad to see you covered it in the video though.

    • Al Dente Diva May 2, 2022 at 1:53 pm

      Hi Patrick, you wanna know what? I forgot to take a picture of it when I was doing it. That’s why these isn’t a visual to match. Next time I do one I’ll for sure add it to the pictures and correct that. Thank you for letting me know

  • Oven Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken May 2, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    […] Spatchcocking chicken in general has its benefits. The meat roasts faster, more evenly and the skin gets super crispy. […]

  • Elizabeth June 5, 2022 at 8:17 pm

    What is the best king of scissors to use for cutting the spine?

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