Of all the ways to grill a whole chicken, there are a few methods that really stand out above all the rest. First to become popular was rotisserie chicken, roasted on a revolving electronic spit over a constant low and steady flame. It was tender, juicy, and delicious – but maybe not the fastest way to cook a bird. Then along came beer can chicken; it was even faster to prepare and many would say twice as moist and juicy as its rotisserie cousin. The latest trending method to hit chicken-ology, and my new favorite, is using a technique called spatchcocking. It may sound complex, but in truth it’s a super simple technique that reduces cooking times and produces excellent results. Today we’re going to show you all about how to spatchcock a chicken, how it works, and how to combine it with other techniques to grill the perfect poultry.

What is Spatchcocking?

To give you an idea, spatchcocking is similar to another well-known technique called “butterflying.” The idea is to reduce the thickness of a piece of meat in order to get it to cook faster. With a whole chicken, the best way to do this is to simply remove the backbone of the bird with a sturdy pair of kitchen shears. Cuts are made along the entire length of the backbone, both on the left and the right sides. After cutting, the backbone is removed and either discarded or saved for stock or soup.

How Does It Work?

Essentially, laying your chicken out flat accomplishes a number of things that produce a better end result. First off, the bird cooks more evenly due to the fact that it lays flat on the grill and ultimately closer to the heat source. Instead of a round roast with a very cold interior, you’ve now got a large flat piece of meat that’s much thinner than what you started with. This makes it much easier to achieve perfectly moist breasts and at the same time legs and thighs that are cooked through.

Second, spatchcocking gives you more control with crisping the chicken’s skin – which we all know is the best part of a grilled chicken! In most cases when you roast a whole chicken, there are usually parts of the skin that either don’t brown or burn. With your chicken laid flat on the grill, you have the option to cook the skin side more or less based on how the skin is crisping up, simply by flipping it skin-side up or down.

Third, a spatchcocked chicken can cut 30-50% of your cooking time, depending on what method you normally use to cook your chicken. Depending on the size of the chicken you’re cooking, grilling times using this method range from about 25-35 minutes from start to finish.

Let’s take a look at the simple 5 step process:

1. Place your chicken breast side down on a cutting board.
2. Locate the backbone. It looks just like you’d imagine, and it starts at the top where the bird’s neck used to be and runs down to the tail.
3. With a pair of heavy duty kitchen shears, cut up the entire right side of the bird along the back bone.
4. Repeat the same cut on the left side of the back bone. Remove the bone and save for soup or stock.

5. Flip the chicken breast side up. With the palm of your hand, flatten out the chicken fully by pressing on it until it’s nice and flat.

That’s it! In five simple steps we’ve reduced cooking time by nearly half, promoted better browning and a more even cooking chicken. For an even shorter cook time, this method can be combined with a grill press for a “brick roasted” effect. Placing a large heavy object on your roast to press it down will also help to decrease thickness and in-turn shorten cooking times. Even if you don’t own a grill press, you may already have a tool perfect for the job. Himalayan Salt Plates, pizza steels, pizza stones, or cast iron cookware all make excellent tools for this method. For more information, check out our pizzacraft blog post, “Five alternative uses for your pizza stone.”

Other Applications

The spatchcock technique isn’t limited to just chicken. It’s also a great technique to use on other types of poultry. Pair your spatchcocked bird (chicken, turkey, or duck) with the right seasoning, marinade, or rub and you’re guaranteed to get an out-of-this-world “winner, winner” chicken dinner.

Daniel Replogle

Daniel does business development and marketing at The Companion Group. When he isn’t writing you can find him rock climbing or doing ceramic artwork.