Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Roast Butterflied Chicken or Turkey

Roast Butterflied Chicken or Turkey

AKA spatchcocking, the fastest way to roast poultry

Looking for comfort food as fall chill arrives? Roast poultry is your pal.

Especially if you butterfly the bird first. It’s the easiest path to the perfect plate: No trussing required and the poultry cooks more quickly. It roasts more evenly too – so both white and dark meat come out properly done and juicy.

So in this season of political rivalry, here’s our platform: A chicken in every oven.

Roast Butterflied Chicken or Turkey
 

Recipe: Roast Butterflied Chicken (or Turkey)

To butterfly a chicken or turkey, you first need to remove the backbone (poultry shears are handy for this, but a good knife works just as well). Then flatten the bird by pressing on the breastbone with enough force to crack it slightly. This step takes a few minutes, but it’s not hard to do. (You could even ask your butcher to do this for you.)

You can use the backbone and giblets (except for the liver – discard that or reserve it for another use) to make a quick sauce if you want. See the Notes for a discussion on how to do this.

For this post, we’ve roasted a chicken. But the procedure for butterflying and roasting a turkey is identical. The turkey will take longer to cook, though (usually at least 45 minutes more).

We use a sheet pan for roasting butterflied poultry, but you could use any large pan with low sides (you don’t want to use a roasting pan with high sides, because the poultry skin won’t brown and crisp as well). Using a roasting rack is optional – we generally use it for chicken (but often skip it for turkey).

The best source we know for everything roasting related is Molly Stevens’ All About Roasting. Our recipe (and our discussion) is influenced by her cookbook. BTW, if you don’t know Stevens’s work, you may want to make her acquaintance – we think she’s one of the best cookbook authors going.

You may want to dry brine the chicken or turkey a day or so before roasting (see below for more on this). If you go this route, let the salt-rubbed bird rest in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook it. 

Prep time for this dish is about 15 minutes (if you dry brine, you can do most of this ahead of time). Roasting the chicken takes about 40 to 50 minutes, depending on size. Then you should let the roasted chicken rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving and serving.

Leftovers keep for several days if wrapped well and refrigerated.

Ingredients

  • one whole chicken (a typical supermarket chicken weighs 3 to 4 pounds, though you may sometimes see “roasting” chickens that weight 5 pounds or a bit more)
  • kosher salt (about ½ teaspoon per pound of chicken, or to taste; see Notes)
  • freshly ground black pepper (optional, but tasty; 4 to 5 grinds per pound of chicken)

Procedure

Note on food safety: Raw poultry is notorious for carrying salmonella. And once it gets on a surface in your kitchen, it can spread easily. Although salmonella isn’t as much of a problem as it was a decade or two ago, it’s still a danger. So when handling raw poultry, we suggest wearing disposable gloves. When finished, use a cleaner with bleach to disinfect any surface (including your hands) that might have been in contact with the poultry. Then wash your hands thoroughly to remove any residual bleach from them. Paranoid much? Yeah, we are. But it’s an easy precaution to take.

  1. You can prep the chicken right before roasting, but you’ll get better flavor if you dry brine it at least 24 hours beforehand (some cookbooks advise dry brining no more than 30 hours for chicken, 48 hours for turkey). So if you want to dry brine, start about a day before you plan to roast the chicken. 
  2. Open the wrapped chicken in the sink (to catch all the juices). Remove the giblets (and the neck, if that’s included in the package) and set them aside if you plan to use them for sauce (see Notes) or discard them. 
  3. Now butterfly the chicken: Position the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board (preferably one you can run through the dishwasher). Using poultry shears or a knife with a heavy, stiff blade, remove the backbone of the chicken. Start at the neck cavity and cut down one side of the backbone through the ribs, ending by the thigh. Then repeat on the other side. Set the backbone aside if using it for sauce (see Notes) or discard it. If you see excess skin around the neck of the chicken, remove it. Now turn the chicken over so the breast side is up. Using the heels of your hands, press down firmly on the breastbone (you may want to put your weight behind this) until the breastbone cracks and you can flatten the body of the chicken (flattening the whole chicken to more or less the same thickness allows it to cook more quickly and uniformly). The joints where the chicken legs and thighs connect (the knees) will face inward. Fold the wings up and tuck them behind the breast (or just leave them flopping around if you prefer). Use paper towels to dry both the skin side and the underside of the chicken. 
  4. Measure the salt and pour it into a small ramekin or bowl. Grind the pepper into the ramekin, then mix the salt and pepper together with your fingers. Spread the salt and pepper evenly on the skin side of the chicken, including the thighs and drumsticks (use about ¼ of it to season the underside, too). 
  5. If you want to roast the chicken right way, proceed with Step 6. If you’re dry brining the chicken ahead of time: Place the chicken on a rack that’s large enough to hold it (you can use a cake-cooling rack). Place the rack in a pan or dish that has sides of at least 1 inch, preferably 2. (You can brine without a rack, but using one allows air to circulate on all sides of the chicken.) Place the raw, salt-rubbed chicken in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roast it (as the chicken rests, the salt will be absorbed into the flesh).
  6. When ready to roast the chicken: If you have dry brined the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator about 45 minutes ahead of time so it can warm to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (425 degrees F if using a convection oven). Note that roasting chicken at a high temperature can cause fat to splatter and burn, so make sure your oven is reasonably clean.
  7. If using a roasting rack: Place a flat rack (one large enough to hold the chicken) on a sheet pan (or another pan with very shallow sides). Place the chicken on the rack, breast side up. Or skip the rack if you don’t want to bother with it. Place the chicken in the oven to roast. Set a timer for 35 minutes. 
  8. When the timer goes off, use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken (insert the thermometer into the thigh of the chicken (don’t let it touch the bone). The chicken must reach a temperature of 165 degrees F to be adequately cooked (see Notes). The chicken probably won’t be done after 35 minutes (it typically takes 45 to 50 minutes), but we always start checking the temperature early in case our oven is running hot. 
  9. When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven. Transfer the roasted chicken to a cutting board (use one with a moat that can collect juices) and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. During this time, you can prepare a quick pan sauce if you wish (see Notes).
  10. When ready to serve, carve the chicken or cut it into serving pieces. The easiest way to cut into pieces is to slice the chicken in half through the breastbone. Then remove the leg at the joint where the thigh meets the body of the chicken. Cut the drumstick from the thigh if you like. Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. 
  11. Plate, serve, and enjoy.

 

Roast Butterflied Chicken or Turkey
Notes

  • USDA recommends cooking chicken until it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F. To measure doneness, check the innermost part of the thigh with an instant-read thermometer (if you want to be extra safe, also check the thickest part of the breast). Make sure you avoid touching bone with the probe of the thermometer. It’s safest to measure doneness by temperature rather than by roasting time because oven temperatures can vary quite a lot.
  • As you roast the chicken, it may exude juices that can darken and burn. If you want to use those juices later, add about ½ cup of water to the roasting pan as the chicken cooks to help prevent burning.
  • “Dry brining” simply means rubbing the chicken with salt and letting it rest before cooking. You can add black pepper or other spices to the salt if you wish. It’s similar in concept to a barbecue rub.
  • The salt used in dry brining seasons the chicken. It also helps draw out moisture, which makes for crisper chicken skin. And a tastier bird.
  • When we dry brine chicken, we let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before roasting (as noted above, some cookbooks recommend not allowing chicken to sit beyond 30 hours). We don’t cover the chicken, but you could drape it loosely with parchment paper or wax paper if you wish (don’t wrap it tightly – you want some air circulation). 
  • Don’t have 24 hours to spare? Dry brining for even a few hours is worth doing. But if you need to prep the chicken immediately before roasting, just rub it with salt right before you pop it into the oven.
  • Speaking of salt, we use kosher salt when cooking. It’s less salty by volume than regular table salt (the crystals are larger and more irregular, so they pack a measure less tightly). If using regular table salt, start with about half the amount we recommend.
  • When dry brining, though, we recommend always using kosher salt. Because the crystals are larger, it’s easier to distribute them more evenly. 
  • BTW, when it comes to dry brining, we’d rather risk using too much salt rather than too little.
  • If you want to make a pan sauce to accompany the chicken, here’s how: Add the chicken backbone and giblets (except for the liver – discard that or reserve it for another use) to the roasting pan when cooking the chicken (Step 7). Once the chicken is done, pour the roasting juices into a small saucepan. If there are browned bits stuck to the roasting pan, add a bit of wine or chicken stock, then deglaze by heating the pan on top of the stove and scraping up the bits with a spatula. Add the deglazing wine and browned bits to the saucepan. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce the contents a bit if you like. Taste and add seasoning if necessary. If the flavor seems too dull, add a bit of lemon juice to brighten it. Serve the sauce with the chicken.
  • We should note here that a properly roasted chicken will be plenty juicy on its own. So adding sauce, while nice, isn’t necessary.
  • We sometimes roast veggies along with the chicken. If you go that route, the veggies will absorb the chicken juices, so you won’t be able to use them for sauce. Your veggies will taste fantastic, however.
     
Roast Butterflied Chicken or Turkey

Fowl Play

“Wow, dry brining sure adds succulence,” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. “Stupe-hen-dous dish.”

“Yup, this recipe is worth its salt,” I said. “I worked around the cluck on it.”

“You could be egg-spelled for that pun,” said Mrs K R.

“But then you wouldn’t get to enjoy my cocksure commentary,” I said.

“Talk is cheep,” said Mrs K R. “Seconds are better.”

True. Glad Mrs K R isn’t just pecking at her food.

You may also enjoy reading about:

Roast Chicken

Roast Pork 

Slow-Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken 

Coq au Vin

Braised Ham with Port 

Or check out the Index for more

74 comments:

Mae Travels said...

Spatchcocked chicken (that's a much more amusing synonym than butterfly) is definitely the way to go. Chicken prepped this way works on the grill too -- by making the chicken all one thickness, you don't have to worry about over- and underdone parts as much. I use the backbone, wing tips, and other scraps for stock which makes good gravy at the end of roasting. I've also put a spatchcocked chicken on top of a dish of stuffing so that the flavors blend nicely -- also this method allows you to make much more stuffing if that's what you really crave.

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Mae, spatchcock is a fun word! We like this on the grill, too. And we sometimes make a stock for gravy, too. I don't often roast the chicken on top of stuffing -- really need to do that more often. Thanks for the comment.

Dahn @savorthebest said...

Butterflied chicken really does cook more evenly and quickly. Great way to cook chicken and turkey

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Dahn, we find it much easier to roast butterflied poultry than whole -- rarely seems to require basting, and so much quicker. Thanks for the comment.

Anne in the kitchen said...

I like to do it on the grill weighted on top by a cast iron skillet. I have never dry brined chicken before and will have to try it the next time I make it. I have some Argentinian rock salt that I occasionally dry brine steaks with. I will give it a go.

Pam said...

It looks perfectly cooked!!! Delicious.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Anne, poultry and pork are particularly nice candidates for dry brning. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Pam, it was really, really good. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Abbe@This is How I Cook said...

I almost always do this before cooking a chicken. So much easier, cooks faster and browns better. I am also all in for dry brining. Good post, John!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Abbe, we also almost always do this when we roast chicken, and quite often (but not always) do it when we roast turkey. Just a better way to roast a bird! Thanks for the comment.

Angie's Recipes said...

Just salt and pepper...that's exactly how I love my roasted bird. This looks so crisp yet so tender and juicy. Well done, John.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Angie, sometimes simplest is best. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Family Spice said...

I do this all the time - best way to roast a whole chicken fast and crispy skin all over! And we've spatchcocked a turkey, too. So delicious. Great tips!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Laura, we love this method of roasting birds! And you're right about the skin -- can't resist it. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes said...

Comfort food is all I want lately! It's been so cold and rainy. This is a must try!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Ashley, this is prime fall comfort food. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Juliana said...

This butterflied chicken looks perfectly cooked...and so simple...love the recipe John...thanks for sharing it.
Have a wonderful rest of week!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Juliana, simple kinda suits us, huh? :-) Thanks for the comment.

mjskit said...

What a beautiful looking chicken! Looks tender and juicy. I've never butterflied a chicken for the roasting the oven. Bobby usually does them on the grill, but then we miss them in the winter. Thanks for sharing you mathod of oven roasting. Saving for colder weather.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi MJ, this method does produce a juicy chicken. Except for the skin -- that's crispy. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Merryn said...

I have often soaked poultry in a salt bronw solution but never with a dry brine rub. This, I have to try, thanks John.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Merryn, we used to use the brine solution, but it's kinda messy (particularly for a turkey!). Dry brining actually works better, we think. Thanks for the comment.

Eha said...

'In this season of political rivalry' indeed ! I had three US gfs asking me to give them the lowdown on the 'Debate' because they felt unable to watch . . . don't blame them !! Since I mostly cook Asian, Muddle Eastern and North African I rarely roast anything. But if I do use chicken it is bound to be spatchcocked and probably grilled If one has interesting sides . . . fine . . .

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Eha, our politics are SO messy at the moment, alas. Hope we get over it. :-( Thanks for the comment.

Gerlinde de Broekert said...

I have to try this method John. Your chicken looks perfect. Guten Appetit

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Gerlinde, it's become our favorite way of roasting chicken and turkey both. Thanks for the comment.

Raymund said...

Wow that skin looks golden crispy! Makes me wanna make one for dinner

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Raymund, the skin was great. :-) Thanks for the comment.

amira said...

This looks so delicious, I have never done a chicken before like this.. I need to try this soon. Thank you.

Fran @ Gday Souffle said...

Good Lord, this is a long post! I was recently thinking of making Butterflied Piri Piri Chicken, but maybe brining it first would be a good idea!

Eva Taylor said...

We did this yesterday and roasted the bird on The Big Green Egg; I just love the smoky flavour the BBQ adds. I wet brined the bird, it keeps the breast meat succulent too, I find dry brining makes it a little salty for my taste. Great point about the roasting pan sides, thanks for that.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/

All That I'm Eating said...

I love this idea. I saw a recipe which butterflied the chicken and it cooked so much quicker than being left as it was, so you can have a midweek roast dinner!

R's Rue said...

Yum.

Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) said...

Hi John! I first started removing the back bone years ago when my butcher hinted that it was a great way to grill chicken. And it is. I've never used the method for roasting ... thanks for this post. Will roast a split chicken soon.

Kitchen Riffs said...

HI Amira, you'd love it! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Fran, it is, isn't it? We have a lot to say, and we take our time saying it! :-) We really like using a dry brine -- it does make a difference. Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Eva, we've done a lot of wet brines, and it's a good method. This just seems easier. And you can always cut down on the amount of salt if you want (but the skin does tend to be a bit salty nevertheless). Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Caroline, midweek roast dinners are to die for! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi R, yup. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Lea Ann, we originally used this just for grilling, too. Until we tried it one Thanksgiving with turkey -- instant converts! Now we almost almost spatchcock chicken or turkey when roasting. Thanks for the comment.

Chef Mimi said...

Roasted poultry really is the best. I love all of your tips and suggestions. Very smart information.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Mimi, we love roasting birds! SO good. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Sippity Sup said...

Fall chill? I wish. I also wish for chicken roasting season. They are around the corner I'm guessing and I promise to give the spatchcock method a go. GREG

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Greg, we don't always spatchcock when we roast, but do most of the time. Definitely our favorite method. Thanks for the comment.

Natalia said...

There is nothing better than good roasted chicken, I love how golden it looks! Yum!

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

I'm drooling at these photos! Perfectly cooked, golden, and juicy.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Natalia, roasted chicken is so simple but wonderful, isn't it? Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Amy, we drooled when we ate it! Well, not literally, but you know what I mean. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Cocoa and Lavender said...

I love this method, John - I have never dry-brined so am excited to try it once the weather cools here (still in the 100s every day - officially the hottest year EVER in Tucson). Your "discard the liver" reminded me of Dan Akroyd's Julia Child skit - "Save the liver! Save the live!" have a great weekend.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi David, "Save the liver!" LOL -- totally forgot about that. Wonderful skit. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Valentina said...

Such a great method of cooking poultry. I made a huge Thanksgiving turkey this way last year and it was delicious. Tricky though, because it was so big. Since our gathering will me MUCH smaller this year ( Covid :-( ), it will be easier. I also jumped over to your roasted pork and put that on my to make list. Looks amazing. :-) ~Valentina

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Valentina, our usual turkey size is 12 - 14 pounds (+/- maybe 2). A sheet pan will hold anything we're likely to roast, but the cook is yelling "look out, hot stuff!" when removing it from the oven -- very unwieldy. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Rahul @samosastreet said...

YOur dish looks amazing John. Lovely color. I have to try your method. Just salt and pepper, I have to try this technique. I need a good knife John. Last time I butchered my chicken it called for help

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Rahul, we're lucky enough to have several good knives! SO handy to have. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

I've never spatchcocked a turkey, but I may have to pick up a small one and give this a try! Simple and delicious (and we need to roast a turkey more than once a year!).

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Liz, bet once you spatchcock turkey, it'll become your preferred method of roasting it. Just sayin'. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Frank said...

I'm a huge fan of spatchcocking chicken and other poultry, as you may remember from my post on "pollo al mattone". Not only quicker to cook bu the skin comes out so nice and crispy, it's amazing. As you can plainly see from your photos. Great stuff!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Frank, spatchcocking is so simple but almost magic, isn't it? :-) Thanks for the comment.

Sherry's Pickings said...

is there anything better than a roast chook? I think not. every mammal alive loves chicken:) dogs cats humans ... Yum!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Sherry, Kitty Rffs isn't allowed to eat chicken, but she'd love some! You're right about every mammal loving it. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Jeff the Chef said...

You know, depending on the weather, I've been thinking about barbecuing this year's Thanksgiving turkey. Butterflying it beforehand would be the perfect way to do it! Thanks for the detailed instructions!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Jeff, we've done Thanksgiving turkey on the grill. You'll definitely want to butterfly it -- makes it much easier to cook and handle. Bet you'll love it! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Food Gal said...

I LOVE Molly Stevens' recipes. They always work. The skin on that chicken looks absolutely magnificent.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Carolyn, isn't Molly Stevens terrific? As you say, her recipes always works. Always. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Heidi | The Frugal Girls said...

Thank you for sharing your tips for how to butterfly a chicken... I need to try this!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Heidi, you do! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Balvinder said...

I have never butterflied a chicken at home but thank you for the easy tips and suggestions. The recipe looks SO flavorful and good!I know my whole family will love it.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Balvinder, it looks a bit complicated, but butterflying a chicken is pretty simple. And such a great way to roast it! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Healthy World Cuisine said...

That crispy skin! Oh my, would love this right now. There is something so cozy about a fall chicken meal out of the oven. The best part is the active cooking time is reduced and that is a very good thing.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Bobbi, we LOVE crispy chicken skin! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Ron said...

Nothing speaks fall louder to me than a roasted chicken. I've done a lot of wet brining of chicken, but I've not tried a dry brine as you've demonstrated. As wet brining is a pain in the rear, I look forward to trying your method.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Ron, we've largely stopped wet brining simply because it's such a pain. Dry brining, though, is easy! Thanks for the comment.

Laura Dembowski said...

I very rarely cook or eat poultry because it seems very risky and it never turns out very well. But this post gives great advice to solve both problems.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Laura, roast poultry is wonderful! Particularly chicken -- it seems like such a simple dish, and is, but the flavor is heavenly. Thanks for the comment.