You can roast a chicken in half the time with this simple butterfly chicken trick. It also works for turkey. Your bird will emerge from the oven golden – and your kitchen will smell amazing!.
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Cutting a whole chicken into butterfly shapes is a quick and even way to cook it. It lets the chicken roast faster and more evenly by taking out the backbone and flattening the bird. The end result is juicy, flavorful meat with crispy skin.
Following this detailed guide, we will show you how to butterfly a whole chicken from beginning to end.
What is Butterflying a Chicken?
Butterflying a chicken, also known as spatchcocking, is a method of preparing a whole chicken for roasting or grilling. It involves removing the backbone and flattening the bird so that it lies flat.
The purpose of butterflying is to allow the chicken to cook more evenly and quickly. With a whole chicken, the breast often ends up dry and overcooked while the thighs remain underdone. By flattening it out, it promotes even cooking between the light and dark meat.
Butterflying also makes more skin surface area available for the high heat to make it very crispy. Compared to roasting a whole chicken, this method cuts the cooking time by almost half.
Benefits of Butterflying a Chicken
There are several advantages to butterflying a whole chicken:
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Cooks faster: Taking out the backbone and flattening the bird cuts cooking time by a large amount. After being cut into butterfly shapes, a 3–4-lb chicken only takes 40–50 minutes to roast, while a whole chicken takes more than an hour.
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Cooks evenly: The dark and light meat cook at the same rate, preventing the breasts from drying out.
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Crispier skin More skin surface area is exposed to the heat yielding uber crispy skin all over.
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Easier to carve: With the backbone removed and chicken flattened, it’s much simpler to carve neat portions after cooking.
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Better seasoning: Seasonings and herbs penetrate deeper when rubbed under the skin of a butterflied bird.
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Lower temperature: The breast meat doesn’t need to cook above 165°F since the thighs and breasts finish at the same time. Lower temperature = more juicy meat.
What You Need to Butterfly a Chicken
Butterflying a chicken is simple to do at home with just a few basic tools:
- Sharp kitchen shears
- Cutting board
- Sharp chef’s knife (optional)
- Poultry roasting pan
The key piece of equipment for removing the backbone is a good pair of kitchen shears. Heavy-duty poultry shears make quick work of cutting through the bones.
A sturdy cutting board provides a stable surface for butterflying. You’ll also need a roasting pan fitted with a rack to cook the spatchcocked chicken.
Step-by-Step Guide to Butterflying a Whole Chicken
Follow these simple steps to properly butterfly a whole chicken:
1. Remove the backbone
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Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from the tail to the neck end.
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Cut as close to the backbone as possible to remove it while leaving the most meat intact.
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Grab the backbone with your hands and twist it out. Reserve the backbone for making stock.
2. Flip over and press down to flatten
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Turn the chicken over so the breast side is facing up. Using your palms, press down firmly on the breastbone until the chicken flattens.
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You should hear the breastbone crack and feel the chicken flatten.
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If desired, use a knife to remove the entire breastbone for an even flatter spatchcocked chicken.
3. Tuck the wing tips
- Tuck the thin wing tips under the breast and over the legs. This prevents them from burning while cooking.
4. Season the chicken
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Pat the chicken dry inside and out with paper towels. Sprinkle and rub your favorite seasonings all over.
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For extra flavor, carefully loosen the skin over the breasts and work the seasoning directly onto the meat.
5. Roast in a hot oven
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Place the spatchcocked chicken in a roasting pan fitted with a rack, breast side up.
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Roast at 450°F for 40-50 minutes until the thighs reach 165°F and breast reaches 150°F.
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For extra crisp skin, baste with a little olive oil or butter a few times during roasting.
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Let rest 5 minutes before carving into portions. Enjoy your perfectly cooked roast chicken!
Common Questions
What if I can’t get the backbone out?
Use kitchen shears to cut down the sides of the backbone a few more times to separate it more from the meat. You can also use a sharp knife to scrape the meat away from the bones. Twist and wiggle it out.
My chicken didn’t flatten out. What should I do?
Place the chicken skin side down on a cutting board. Use your body weight and the heels of your hands to apply firm pressure on the back to crack the breastbone. You can also place a heavy pan on top and press down.
Do I really need to tuck the wings under?
It’s not mandatory, but keeping the wing tips tucked under prevents them from burning since there is little meat on them. If you want to leave them untucked for presentation, brush them with oil and watch closely when roasting.
Can I roast vegetables too?
Absolutely! Roasting vegetables alongside the spatchcocked chicken is delicious. Place your favorite veggies like potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, etc around the perimeter of the pan.
How can I infuse more flavor?
Try slipping herbs, garlic, or citrus slices under the breast skin before roasting. The heat releases the flavors directly into the meat. Spice rubs are also excellent on a butterflied bird before cooking.
Tips for the Best Butterflied Roast Chicken
Here are a few tips to ensure your spatchcocked roast chicken turns out perfect every time:
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Use the heels of your hands and body weight to sufficiently flatten the chicken. Proper flattening promotes even cooking.
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Truss the legs together with twine if they won’t stay tucked-in to prevent overcooking.
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Roast at 450°F or higher to get the skin extra crispy.
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Monitor temperature closely and remove from oven immediately after the breasts reach 150°F.
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Let the chicken rest before carving for juicier meat.
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Carve along both sides of the breastbone, then slice between thighs and body.
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Make an easy pan sauce from the flavorful drippings after roasting.
Get Creative with Leftover Roast Chicken
A butterflied roast chicken yields plenty of delicious leftovers. Here are some creative ways to use them:
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Make chicken salad, soup, or stock from the picked-over carcass.
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Toss shredded meat with BBQ sauce and serve on buns.
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Top salads with sliced or diced roast chicken.
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Stuff the meat into burritos, sandwiches, and wraps.
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Make a classic chicken pot pie with vegetables and gravy.
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Heat up pieces of roast chicken in pasta alfredo or stir fries.
With this complete guide, you can become a pro at butterflying chickens for perfect roast chickens every time. Happy roasting!
A QUICKER WAY TO ROAST CHICKEN (VIDEO)
This recipe is so good (and QUICK!) I promise you’ll use it all year round.
Note: This is also the fastest way to cook a turkey. I’ve done it on MORE than one occasion when I suddenly realized it didn’t have time to cook my turkey ‘whole. ’ Adjust your cooking times accordingly.
The trick is to butterfly your chicken. This is also known as to “spatchcock” a chicken. By opening up the chicken to lay flat on the baking sheet, you cut the roasting time of about 90 minutes for a whole chicken, to about 45 minutes with this butterflied chicken. And, by the end, of this quick process, you can even call yourself a hipster butcher!.
Here are the easy steps:
1. Place a chicken on a baking sheet. (I prepare the bird on a baking sheet to contain the chicken juices which tend to run out. ) Remove the giblets from the interior of the chicken. The giblets are often contained in a small paper bag (see above). Use them in giblet recipes, or discard.
3. Using a pair of kitchen shears or sharp knife, cut out the backbone. This is not as tricky as it sounds. You really cannot mess it up! You will end up with a strip of backbone about 1 1/2-inches wide.
4. Flip the chicken over so the skin is up and the interior is down (see below. ) Press down and flatten with the heals of your hand. (You want to hear the snapping of a few bones. ) That’s it!.
5. Now, to season the chicken, simply slip your fingers inside the skin of the breast and thighs to loosen. Smooth the herb/garlic mixture over the breast and thigh meat, beneath the skin. Good job! You’re now a hipster butcher, or close enough!.
Quick roast the chicken as directed in the recipe below.
