How to Spatchcock a Chicken

Spatch-what? Spatchcock. I know, I giggled a bit the first time I heard it. It’s a silly sounding name that’s more commonly known as “butterflying.” Doing this preparation allows for the chicken to cook evenly, more quickly, with crispy skin. Yum!

We included pictures for you to follow along. We’re not professional food photographers, but it gives you the idea. It’s really easy, and this makes it the perfect option for grilling your chicken.

Here we go!

With your Farm57 chicken, start by taking the legs out of the skin. All we did was tuck them in for easier packaging.

Then, turn the chicken over so that you can make the wings look like this. You don’t want to cut through the breasts, so make sure you don’t miss this part! (Excuse the refrigerator rack marks on our chicken!)

Now it’s time to grab a good pair of kitchen shears….

You’re going to start at the bottom, at the tail, and cut right along the spine. Go the whole way up, don’t be afraid! Use your muscles, you’ll be cutting through some bone.

Okay! You made it through one side. Phew! Now turn the chicken around, and come back down the other side of the spine, repeating what you just did the first time. The goal is to get the spine removed.

Here, we’ve placed the spine to the side for you to see. Don’t throw it out! Save it to make bone broth (I’ll do a post on that soon!). Turn the chicken back over, so that now, you should be looking at the breasts and thighs.

Now place the heel of your hand in the center of the chicken. Press very firmly, you want to push it flat.

Yay! You’re done! The chicken should be laying flat on your board like this. It’s ready for seasoning, however you like it.

We usually do a good coat of Lowry’s Season Salt and pepper, that’s it!

Get your grill to 350. Grill breast side down for about 10-15 minutes, then turn it over and grill for 30 minutes. Return the chicken to breast side down for the last 15 minutes or so, until internal temperature reaches 165.

We hope that you try this technique and let us know how it goes! Comment below!

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Farming for you,
Joel & Megan