Spatchcock chicken, my way
The advantage of a spatchcocked chicken lies in the little time you save on cooking… I say « little » because let’s not overstate it. If you want a good chicken, you buy a free-range one, which will take longer to cook than a class-A bird (the kind whose pieces come apart without a knife — not because you’re so strong, but because it grew up too fast). And since low-temperature cooking always gives better results, after a first spell under the grill I’d suggest cooking it low and slow 🙂
Preparation
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Step 1
Ask your poulterer to spatchcock the chicken, or do it yourself… as you’d guess, it needs to look like a toad (a crapaud). To do that, cut along the belly of the bird lengthways and flatten the beast out as in the photo.
The day before, put it in a dish with the marinade: 6 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp of mustard, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of piment d’Espelette (a mild Basque chilli).
The next day, take the bird out at least half an hour, ideally an hour, before it goes in the oven (it’ll be more tender).
Put the chicken in the roasting tin and grill it for 15 minutes at 210 °C (not too close to the grill, so it stays golden).
Carry on cooking for 1 hr 30 at 150 °C.
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Step 2
Serve with a vegetable tian (tomatoes, peppers, courgettes) or mashed potato and a nice salad.
To finish this recipe
This two-stage cooking gives you more tender meat. To be sure it’s done, push a knife into a thick part (the thigh, say).
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