Spatchcock chicken yields juicy meat and beautifully crisp, golden skin. Whether for Sunday dinner, a weekend barbecue or a flavourful peri peri roast, this simple technique ensures even cooking and significantly reduces cooking time.
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
Spatchcocking (also called butterflying) a chicken offers several practical benefits:
- Faster cooking. Laying the bird flat puts most of the meat in a single layer so heat reaches everything more evenly. A medium chicken (about 1.4kg/3lb) that might take around 80 minutes whole can roast in roughly 45–50 minutes when spatchcocked.
- Crispier, more even skin and meat. With skin and meat exposed across the top, the surface crisps uniformly while breasts and thighs finish at a similar rate.
- Easier to season evenly. With the chicken flattened you can brush or sprinkle seasoning across the whole surface quickly and consistently.
- Simpler carving. A flattened bird has fewer hidden bits, so carving is quicker and neater.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Recipe Notes
- 📋 Ingredients
- 📺 How to butterfly a chicken (video)
- Pro Tip
- How to spatchcock chicken Recipe
- ? Frequently Asked Questions
- 🍲 More whole chicken recipes
📋 Ingredients
1 whole chicken (the example used here is about 1.4kg / 3lbs). You can spatchcock any size chicken; larger birds will need longer cooking times.
📺 How to butterfly a chicken (video)
Pro Tip
Use a good set of kitchen shears or heavy-duty scissors to cut through the backbone cleanly.
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How to spatchcock chicken
Equipment
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Heavy duty kitchen scissors or poultry shears
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Sturdy chopping board
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (medium, around 1.4–1.6kg / 3–3.5lbs)
Instructions
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Place the chicken breast-side down on a sturdy chopping board with the legs nearest you.
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Using heavy-duty scissors or poultry shears, cut along both sides of the backbone. Work slowly and cut through each rib as needed rather than trying to force multiple ribs at once.
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Remove the backbone and either discard it or save it for making stock.
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Turn the chicken over, pull the legs slightly outward, and press firmly down on the breastbone with both hands to flatten the bird.
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Your chicken is now spatchcocked and ready to season and cook as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is approximate.
Example calculations use a 1.4kg chicken yielding roughly 980g of raw meat (about a 70% yield). After cooking the meat typically weighs around 25% less due to moisture loss, so cooked meat will be nearer 735g.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be treated as an approximation.
? Frequently Asked Questions
For a medium (1.4kg/3lb) bird, roast at 220°C/425°F (fan) for about 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 75°C/165°F. Start checking from 35 minutes and use a thermometer in the thickest part to confirm doneness.
Yes — because the bird is flattened and cooks more evenly, you can use a higher temperature to shorten cooking time without drying the meat. Cooking faster at a higher temperature often helps retain juiciness. That said, 180°C/350°F (fan) also works; it just takes a little longer. Always check the internal temperature.
Spatchcocking speeds up cooking, produces crispier skin and more even cooking, makes seasoning simpler and eases carving — all reasons to give it a try next time you roast a whole chicken.
🍲 More whole chicken recipes
Chicken
Peri Peri Chicken (with homemade Peri Peri Sauce)
Roast Dinner
Easy Roast Chicken with Rich Gravy
Curries
Curry Roast Chicken
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