A Splay That Will Live in Infamy

May 5, 2009 10:33 AM

I want to learn to splay a chicken.

I'm keen to do some of that fancy-style "splayed chicken on a grill"-type cooking, but am pretty nervous about ruining the bird in my attempt to make it flat.

Can anyone point me towards someplace on the net that has either a video or really clear pictures of how such a culinary technique is properly executed?

Bonus points for awesome recipes and/or tips, as should be the norm for any cooking technique question.

posted by joelhunt to food & drink (13 comments total)

The term you want is "spatchcock" or "butterfly". Here's one video.
posted by redfoxtail at 10:42 AM on May 5 [3 favorites]

Text and video from my BBQ zen masters.
posted by Lame_username at 10:52 AM on May 5 [1 favorite]

The best instructions for butterflying a chicken are in Julia Child's The Way to Cook; while I'm sure you'll get really good online recommendations here I highly recommend buying (or at least library-borrowing) it if you want a great reference for similar culinary techniques like partial deboning and various ways to break down the bird. It's an amazing book.
posted by bcwinters at 10:53 AM on May 5

I can't view the videos (net nanny issue), but I want to say that this is one of the easiest butchery-type things to do. I can't debone a chicken breast, and I tend to hack up more than properly carve a turkey or chicken. But I can butterfly a chicken in less than a minute.

They key is a good, sturdy pair of kitchen shears. You want a pair that comes apart easily so you can wash them.

Use the kitchen shears to cut out the chicken's backbone. Just start at the butt, cutting along one side of the backbone, through the ribs. Then cut along the other side. (You can use the back to make stock.) Turn the chicken over, breast side up. The legs will "splay" out to each side. Press on the breastbone of the chicken to flatten it (I really have to put my weight and strength into it).

One of the great things about cooking a chicken this way is that you can easily stuff delicious things under the skin. Flavored butters, herbs, spices, olive oil, onions, garlic, soft cheeses. These will give great flavor to the meat as it cooks. (You can do this with a non-butterflied chicken as well, but it is much easier to get the stuff up under the skin and all over the bird once it is butterflied.)

If you buy your chicken somewhere with a full service meat counter (Whole Foods, Fresh Market), you can ask them to butterfly the chicken for you. They don't charge for this.
posted by jeoc at 10:56 AM on May 5 [1 favorite]

I would definitely like to agree with jeoc about good kitchen shears being a necessity. Personally, I don't particularly like the kind that come apart (I can't get good leverage with them) but I have a pair of Henckels that are astoundingly strong. With a similar-looking-but-cheap pair of scissors I was NEVER able to get the backbone out of a chicken without feeling like I was going to end up sobbing on the kitchen floor. With the Henckels in hand I am Jacques Frickin' Pépin.
posted by bcwinters at 11:09 AM on May 5

everybody appears to have the technique covered- here is a recipe barefoot contessa's tuscan lemon chicken.

You don't have to grill if you don't want - just roast in the oven.

yummy.
posted by domino at 11:11 AM on May 5

awesome tip: this terra cotta pan - it's called "mattone" (brick); the chicken, splayed and prepared to your fancy (that lemon chicken above, for instance), is put inside and covered (more like: pressed) with the heavy lid, then cooked at the lowest heat for about 1 hour.
The meat is tender and juicy and it stays crisp on the skin. Plus, the slow cooking allows to drain away almost all of the fat (and very little is needed for cooking, say a spoon of olive oil).
posted by _dario at 11:16 AM on May 5

You'll get better at it. Even if you really butcher the chicken (heh) it will still be fine to eat, so give it a whack. Nthing having a good knife and scissors. My kitchen scissors are nothing fancy, and they do fine, but a good chef's knife will really help.
posted by theora55 at 12:17 PM on May 5

I learned from the Joy of Cooking. Very easy step by step instructions.
posted by NikitaNikita at 2:03 PM on May 5

Another nice trick is to cut a slit in the skin between the drumsticks and tuck their ends into it to keep the legs folded.

If you put the flattened chicken in the bottom of a pot on the stove with a smaller pot of water on top pressing it down, it'll cook in 12-15 minutes a side.

OK, here I found a recipe with pictures.
posted by nicwolff at 2:21 PM on May 5

Alton Brown's "A Bird in the Pan" episode covers this nicely. You can find video on Youtube.

I have adopted his practice of stuffing salt/pepper/garlic/herbs under the skin and rarely do chicken any other way now.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:36 PM on May 5

With a pair of good kitchen sheers, you will be amazed at how easy this technique is. Also, it is very hard to screw up the chicken butchery so much that it won't roast up well so don't be afraid. bcwinters pretty much said exactly what I would advise. Way to Cook and buy a pair of Henckels or Wusthof kitchen sheers. I'm not saying that those two sheers are the best ever, but I have used both and they are both very good.
posted by Foam Pants at 4:12 PM on May 5

Thanks for all the info. The best part... I already have a pair of Henckel kitchen shears, so I am set! I AM LOCKED IN (as it pertains to my ability to spatchcock a chicken)! LET'S GO!
posted by joelhunt at 4:50 AM on May 6