I started spatch-cocking my own chickens during this pandemic. I find it incredibly satisfying to take a chicken, cut the backbone out and then smush it down flat. It cooks beautifully on the grill and it takes a lot less time than my other favorite, Zuni Chicken. I’d started this posting over the summer but hit my pandemic fatigue and failed to post it so the photos below are a combination of the one from the summer and this past weekend.

I got together for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year’s) with a few friends to make a small dinner. It felt too odd and disconnected to not do anything, however because of Covid, I can’t safely eat with my parents in their home. For me it’s not so much the services or religious portion of the holiday but the traditional foods and the joy I get from sharing a meal with friends and family. To do nothing felt wrong so we gathered a few folks and made a holiday dinner.

We divvied out who would make or bring each dish. Jackie made matzo balls, tomato, basil and mozzarella as well as a green salad (both the tomatoes and basil were from my garden), I made the soup part, spatch-cocked a chicken, roasted some carrots and baked a decadent apple upside-down cake (I’ll post that recipe next!). Denise made the noodle pudding, set the table and hosted. Pam brought the wine. The meal itself was delicious but, more importantly, it was nice to share it with friends and made the evening feel like a holiday. We talked and laughed and ate until we could eat no more.

My friends wanted the method for spatchcocking so I figured this would be a good exercise and get me out of my writer’s pandemic slump.

This past weekend I used the Zuni method and adapted it to the flattened shape but (as you’ll notice in the photos) I have used other seasonings for the chicken. The photos show one that Ben, Alexa and I made over the summer with dill, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt and pepper.

To make one Zuni style, I spatchcock the bird, then salt & peppered it and let it sit for 48 hours in the fridge. To cook it, I stuffed it with parsley and brushed it with lemon, olive oil, salt & pepper. Easy!

Spatchcock chicken

Method - there are so many great videos out there that give you detailed instruction…Here’s one I like:

The BBC Good Food team show you how to easily spatchcock a chicken - ideal for grilling or barbecuing. For recipes using this technique please visit: http://...

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

Kosher Salt & Pepper

Italian Parsley

Juice of 2 lemons

Olive oil

Italian Parsley or some other herb / combination that you like. You could also use a rub like the Chili Rub. Many options - just depends on your preference.

Directions

After you’ve spatchcocked your chicken, sprinkle or rub Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper all over both sides. I put a paper towel underneath the chicken on a plate and then cover that loosely with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for up to 48 hours. It’s not really necessary with a spatchcocked chicken but I figure if it works so well for a Zuni Chicken why mess with perfection?

Before you cook the chicken:

Chop the Parsley (or other herbs that you are using) it doesn’t need to be fine - you just need to be able to handle it - the idea is to shove it under the skin all over the chicken. At this point I use the method shown in the video - I take two skewers and run them from the thigh to the breast meat on a diagonal. This helps you hold the chicken’s shape while you are cooking. Just remember - the skewers will get very hot on the grill so only touch them if you have BBQ gloves!

Note: I took some of the pictures over the summer. At that time we used dill as our herb - you can see it was inside / on top of the chicken and we also used some chili flakes in the lemon & olive oil mixture.

Squeeze two lemons and add olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and mix.

Prepare the grill. When it is hot, spray it with a cooking spray (I like Pam olive oil) but be careful - the grill will probably flame up with the fat. I like to sear the chicken initially but after I put the chicken on the grill, breast side down, I turn the middle flame to low and leave the two sides on medium - high. This is called indirect heating. The reason I do this is I want the breast meat to have time to cook all the way through. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken. I actually just used long tongs. Again, if you are using the skewers make sure you have proper protection on! Brush the breast meat (should be facing up now) with the lemon/oilive oil mixture.

Wait another 10 minutes, with the bird on its back. Then flip again.

After 5 -10 minutes (really depends on your grill) check the meat with an instant read thermometer. The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees. You may need to cook it a bit longer.

When you take the chicken off the grill, let it rest for at last 5 minutes. Take the skewers out, carve and serve!

Enjoy!