Monday, July 26, 2010

Spatchcocked!

Spatchcock. Now there's a word you don't hear everyday. Actually in the U.S your don't really hear it at all.  But I've always loved that word. Simply speaking it means "to butterfly'', specifically a chicken.  I bought a chicken at the market, but the thought of roasting it when outside temperatures were soaring into the 90's did not seem appealing.  OK, so the thought of standing outside next to a hot grill was not appealing either, but a girl has to eat.

I wanted to make something a little different, something a little spicy. Chicken Fra Diavolo.

I placed the chicken, breast side down, on the cutting board; and cutting on either side of the backbone, removed it. I then turned the chicken over and pressed down on the breastbone until the chicken was somewhat flattened.  I  massaged the bird all over with olive oil, salt and hot red pepper flakes, then parked it to marinate for a couple of hours.


In the meantime, I grilled some zucchini, seasoned it, and set it to wait at room temperature.


When the sun went down, I was as ready as I was going to be to light the grill. I heated it to about medium-high and placed the chicken breast side down, poured a glass of icy white wine, grabbed my book and settled next to the grill to keep my eye on the bird.  I let the bird cook for about 45-50 minutes, turning quite frequently to avoid burning.



The chicken was done just as John walked through the door. After letting the bird rest a bit, I cut it up and finished it off with a squirt of lemon.



A green salad added, and it was dinner.

11 comments:

  1. That sounds perfect. I'll be it was delicious. Love that first photo of the chicken splayed out. It looks so relaxed after that massage :)

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  2. Tracy--It's always nice to treat our chickens to a spa day ; )

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  3. Spatchcock--great rhythm to the word! Your Chicken Fra Diavolo looks as delicious as can be....just right, with a squeeze of lemon at the end. I was there with you, chilled white and all....

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  4. Nancy--Thanks. The chicken was quite tasty.

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  5. That chicken looks very tasty. I love the idea of you sitting with a glass of wine, reading your book and turning your chicken. That sounds like a perfect way to spend 45 minutes. I would never manage to do just that and my chicken would be neglected and no where near as delicious looking as yours.

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  6. Kath--It was a pleasant way to spend the time. But with a three-year old, I think it would be near impossible for you to do.

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  7. It is I am afraid, but hey-ho. My children are averse to me sitting down for more than 3 minutes at any one time. I like the new header.

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  8. Hi Kath--Don't you let those little cuties run you too ragged! Glad you like the new header. I never realized how quickly and easily arugala grows, even in our rocky soil.

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  9. Spatchcock...I started to think, it was some kind of artichoke dish :))))
    I bought whole chicken at the market myself, just a few weeks ago and roasted it Julia Child style...so tasty!!!!

    I will be spatchcocking it next time :)

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  11. M.-How about spatchcocked chicken with artichokes? ; )

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