Butterflied Chicken Recipes

BUTTERFLIED ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil. Place a rack on top of foil.
• Rub olive oil on both sides of chicken and generously season with salt and black pepper. Arrange lemon slices and rosemary on the rack and place chicken, skin-side up, onto the rack.
• Roast in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 45 to 55 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Transfer chicken to a serving platter and tent a piece of aluminum foil over it. Discard lemon and rosemary and remove rack.
• Pour wine into the baking pan and gently loosen the bits of food in the pan with a wooden spoon, being careful not to tear the foil. Strain pan juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil; cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken.

BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH THYME, LEMON AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Whisk together the oil, 2 tablespoons of the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the thyme, 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of onion in a large baking dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the oil. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
• Preheat the grill to medium. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down and slowly grill until the fat renders and the skin becomes golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over, close the cover and continue grilling until just cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Remove from the grill, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before cutting.
• Mix together the remaining garlic, thyme and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and sprinkle over the cut chicken.

NIF'S BUTTERFLIED GRILLED WHOLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat both sides of barbeque to high heat. While it is heating up, prepare chicken:.
• Place whole chicken on a baking sheet, breast side down. With kitchen shears, cut down each side of back bone and discard. Rinse chicken with cool water and place back on baking sheet, again breast side down.
• Sprinkle your desired amount of rub on the inside of the chicken and massage into the meat. Flip over, press the chicken down if it's not laying flat, and repeat the rub. Make sure you have coated the whole chicken.
• On BBQ, turn one side of grill off. Place chicken on the turned off side, breast side down. By doing that, you will get beautiful grill marks without the flare-ups and it will cook in indirect heat. BBQ for 15 minutes.
• Flip over in same area on grill and cook for another 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 180°F.
• Remove from grill onto a clean baking sheet or plate. Tent with tin foil for at least 10 minutes before cutting up chicken.

BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH CRACKED SPICES

Steps:

• Light a grill or set your broiler on high and give it a 15-minute head start.
• Butterfly (or spatchcock) the chicken: Cut out the chicken's backbone with poultry shears, a cleaver or a sharp, heavy chef's knife (or ask a butcher to do this). If you think you will make stock at some point, by all means tightly wrap the backbone in plastic and put it in the freezer. Place the chicken skin side up in a roasting pan and press firmly on the breast with the heels of your hands until it cracks and flattens. Position the legs so they lie flat and the drumsticks point out. Tuck the wingtips over the tops of the wings to hold them in place, or cut them off. Rub the bird with the oil. (Don't worry about any extra oil that may fall onto the pan.) Now wash your hands.
• Coarsely grind the fennel, coriander, peppercorns and cumin with a mortar and pestle or with 8 or 9 pulses in a spice grinder. Mix in the salt and paprika or pimentón and sprinkle this rub on both sides of the bird, with the emphasis on the skin.
• Set the chicken skin side down on a grill or skin side up on a broiler rack positioned so the highest point of the bird is about 10 inches from the flame. When the skin begins to brown after 6 or 7 minutes, flip the chicken over. (The easiest way is to grab the knobby ends of both drumsticks with several layers of paper towels if you are in the kitchen, or with clean oven mitts if you are grilling.)
• After about 10 minutes, when the bony side is browned, lower the heat to medium-high (400 if you're using an oven), flip the chicken again and cook another 10 minutes, or until the skin is very crisp and brown and the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees when checked with a meat thermometer. Let it rest about 5 minutes before carving. (If you are grilling, set it on a platter.)
• Spoon any juices that have collected in the broiler pan or the platter over the chicken. Serve with lemon. In springtime, try to serve this with tender young bitter greens - like arugula, watercress or baby dandelions - tossed in a sharp vinaigrette.

SPATCHCOCKED (BUTTERFLIED) ROAST CHICKEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Place oven rack in upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Using sharp kitchen shears, remove backbone from chicken and cut spine into 5 to 6 one-inch-long pieces. Set backbone aside. Flatten chicken by placing skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to breastbone. Transfer to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Position chicken so that breasts are aligned with center of baking sheet and legs are close to edge.
• If using herbs: using your fingers and starting from the neck end and working your way down towards the legs, gently separate chicken skin from the breast and thigh meat; be careful not to tear the skin. Carefully push the herbs under the skin, distributing them as evenly as possible all over the breast and thigh muscle.
• Combine 1 tablespoon (15g) kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder (if using) in a small bowl. Sprinkle all over chicken skin and cavity sides, then return to skin-up position. Drizzle chicken skin with 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil, rubbing to distribute evenly.
• Roast chicken until thickest part of breast close to bone registers 150°F (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer and joint between thighs and body registers at least 175°F (80°C), about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil in a small saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add chicken backbone and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add bay leaf and deglaze with vermouth or sherry and 1 cup (240ml) water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain out solids and return liquid to pan. Boil over medium-high heat until approximately 1/3 cup (80ml) remains, about 7 minutes. Whisk in soy sauce, butter, and lemon juice off heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove chicken from oven, transfer to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest 5 minutes before carving. Serve with hot jus.

BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Position the oven rack 8 inches from the flame/coil and turn broiler to high.
• Crack peppercorns with a mortar and pestle until coarsely ground.
• Add garlic and salt and work well.
• Add lemon zest and just enough oil to form a paste.
• Cut vegetables into pieces and place in a deep roasting pan.
• Place chicken on a plastic cutting board breast-side down.
• Using kitchen shears, cut ribs down one side of back bone and then the other and remove.
• Open chicken like a book and remove the keel bone separating the breast halves by slicing through the thin membrane covering it, then by placing two fingers underneath the bone and levering it out.
• Turn chicken breast-side up and spread out like a butterfly by pressing down on the breast and pulling the legs towards you.
• Loosen the skin at the neck and the edges of the thighs.
• Evenly distribute the garlic mixture under the skin, saving 2 teaspoons for the jus.
• Drizzle the skin with oil and rub in, being sure to cover the bird evenly.
• Drizzle oil on bone side of chicken as well.
• Arrange bird in roasting pan, breast up, atop vegetables.
• Place pan in oven being sure to leave the oven door ajar.
• Check bird in 10 minutes.
• If the skin is a dark mahogany, hold the drumstick ends with paper towels and flip bone-side up.
• Cook 12-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
• Juices must run clear.
• Remove and place chicken into a deep bowl and cover loosely with foil.
• Tilt pan so that any fat will pool at corner.
• Siphon this off with a bulb baster.
• (This fat is great in vinaigrettes).
• Set pan over 2 burners set on high.
• Deglaze pan with a few shots of red wine and scrape brown bits from bottom using a carrot chunk held with tongs.
• Add chicken stock, thyme, the remaining garlic paste and reduce briefly to make a jus.
• Strain out vegetables and discard.
• Slice chicken onto plates or serve in quarters.
• Sauce lightly with jus and serve.