How to Spatchcock a Chicken

Spatchcocking is a cooking technique that guarantees evenly cooked, juicy chicken with perfectly crisp skin. In this post, I’m sharing How to Spatchcock a Chicken with step-by-step instructions and images.

Spatchcocking a chicken is one of my favorite ways to cook a whole chicken. The process is easy- remove the chicken’s backbone, flip it over, and flatten the bird. It’s an efficient, effective technique for preparing chicken, especially if you’re short on time (and who isn’t these days?)

Here’s a step-by-step guide to spatchcocking a chicken:

What is Spatchcocking?

Spatchcocking, also known as “butterflying,” is a way of preparing poultry (mainly chicken and turkey) where the backbone is removed, and the bird is flattened out. It is especially popular for roasting and grilling.

Advantages of Spatchcocking a Chicken

• It cooks faster. A spatchcocked chicken can cook about 25% faster than a whole chicken roasted in the oven.
• It cooks more evenly. By removing the backbone, we can lay the chicken flat, therefore distributing heat evenly over the entire surface of the chicken. This helps the legs and thighs, which require more heat, cook at a rate similar to the breast meat, which cooks faster. The result is a fully cooked chicken with all parts cooked at about the same time.
• Crispier, more flavorful skin. The increased surface area exposes more of the chicken skin directly to the heat source, allowing it to crisp up better than it may otherwise.

Helpful Tools

You’ll need a few essential cooking tools to prepare a spatchcock chicken, including:

• A pair of sturdy kitchen shears or a sharp chef’s knife.
• Large cutting board
• Paper towels

Find my complete list of cooking essentials here.

How to Spatchcock (Butterfly) a Chicken

Here are detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to spatchcock a chicken:

1. Remove the backbone. Pat the entire chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken, breast-side-down, on a large, sturdy workspace like a large cutting board. Look for the backbone. You’ll find it down the middle of the chicken, from the neck to the tail. Use a good pair of kitchen shears (scissors) or a sharp knife to cut along one side of the backbone (cut as close to the backbone as possible). Repeat on the other side of the backbone. Note: You’ll be cutting through rib bones; some force may be needed. Remove the backbone and set it aside.

2. Spread the chicken. Open the chicken by spreading it apart where you removed the backbone. Then, flip it over so that it is breast-side-up.

3. Crack the breastbone. Press down firmly on the chicken to crack the breastbone and flatten the chicken. The cracking sound is the breastbone breaking. It is necessary to get the chicken to lie flat.

4. Trim excess fat and tuck the wings (optional). Trim any fat or skin that isn’t needed, particularly around the exposed tail area where the backbone was removed. To prevent the wings from burning, tuck them under the breasts. This also helps the chicken lay more flat.

Easy Spatchcock Chicken Marinades and Seasoning Recipes

Feel free to season or marinate your chicken with your favorite recipe. A little salt, black pepper, and butter is a great starting point, or you can try one of the following recipes:

• Jerk Seasoning
• The Best Greek Marinade
• Poultry Seasoning
• Citrus Marinade
• Chimichurri
• Cilantro Lime Marinade
• Cajun Seasoning
• Shake and Bake Seasoning

Make Ahead Tips

You can spatchcock your chicken up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate the chicken wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.