These simple steps will show you how to spatchcock a chicken. I did some research online and there are a few different theories and honestly I saw a few posts make this super difficult when it is really rather simple.

How to Spatchcock a Chicken

You will need one whole chicken and a pair of sharp kitchen scissors. We have lots of whole chickens that we froze last year and this is an easy process of preparing it. Benefits to cooking a chicken this way are:

It cooks much faster! A whole chicken that has been spatchcocked will cook in half the time.
Since the chicken is spread out and flat this helps to cook the chicken more evenly
You can season the bird more evenly too, since it is laid out flat.

We usually roast our chicken but you can easily grill it too. Very versatile!

Steps to Spatchcock a Chicken:

Start with your chicken breast side down on a working surface or roasting pan. Pat chicken dry.
Starting at the thigh end cut a long the backbone of the chicken with kitchen shears. Turn chicken around and continue the other side of the backbone, until you can remove it. Set it aside or use it for stock.

Next turn chicken over and flatten it out. You will take your hands and press hard on the breast bone to flatten out the chicken. You may hear a small crack.

We tucked the wings under and this is totally optional. Many people have rules about how the chicken is supposed to “look” etc, but it’s really a rather simple process. Removing the backbone, and flatting out the breast bone is really the most important part of this.

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