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Benefits of spatchcock chicken vs. whole chicken



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Amelia Bedelia




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 9:57 am
My kids have very simple palates. Their favorite dinners are plain roast chicken, meatballs, and batter fried chicken. I recently discovered a preseasoned ready to bake spatchcock chicken at Gourmet Glatt for only $3.29/lb. that my kids can't get enough of. They lick their plates clean!
Due to the Pesach season, it's not currently available, so I had them prepare unseasoned spatchcock chickens for me (they actually charged me $3.79/lb).
I'm just wondering what the benefits of spatchcock over regular whole chicken are, other than cooking faster and more evenly. Does spatchcock result in a juicer, more flavorful chicken dish?
Also, if anyone has a great basic roast chicken recipe, please share! I assume any whole chicken recipe would work for spatchcock?
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 9:59 am
Yes when you flatten out the chicken you don’t end up with dry white meat since it cooks more evenly. I normally don’t like white meat chicken unless it’s cooked that way.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 10:10 am
I've always wanted to make chicken under a brick. It's basically cooking the spatchcock chicken in a big pan skin side down. And weighing the chicken down under a heavy brick so that it really forms a crispy crust.
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MiracleMama




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 10:14 am
I tried making spatchcock chicken once after hearing about it for the first time here. (Never seen it sold that way in any markets around here - but easy enough to split myself. I don't know if I cooked in wrong - I basically just laid in flat across a rack in a roasting pan and baked as usual. When the white meat was done and juicy the dark meat was still a little raw and had to go back in, so I wasn't so excited with this.
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Amarante




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 10:40 am
Others have mentioned what the theoretical benefits are in terms of ensuring a bird that is more evenly cooked.

But I am a bit confused - is the chicken you are buying cooked or is it just prepped and seasoned?

If it is just prepped and seasoned/marinated, your children might just be enjoying the flavors of whatever is being used for the chicken. Because logically I can't imagine why a child (or anyone) would have such a strong preference for a piece of chicken based on how it is cooked - assuming that it is roasted or whatever properly so it isn't dry and has flavor.

Now a fun way to cook a chicken is a beer can chicken. I used to make this a lot. You stick a beer or soda can up the chicken's tush and the moisture creates a moist beer and the flavors permeate the chicken. It's classically done with just beer but people do their own versions because you can put any flavored liquid into a can.

Your children might also like the "rotisserie" chicken that is cooked in a crockpot. It creates a very delicious moist bird. It is not a pretty bird because it collapses when it is done but it is a good dish when presentation isn't important. It's also easy as heck.

My go to super easy chicken recipe is Unbelievable Chicken. It creates such a delicious result and the leftovers are succulent and moist. I generally marinate for 24 hours to maximize flavor.

Unbelievable Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons prepared coarse-ground mustard
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

In a large glass bowl, mix the cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Discard marinade.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 10:48 am
AB, when I saw the thread title, I couldn't help but think, what would Amelia Bedelia do with the directions: Spatchcock chicken? Very Happy
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Amelia Bedelia




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 10:59 am
Amarante wrote:
Others have mentioned what the theoretical benefits are in terms of ensuring a bird that is more evenly cooked.

But I am a bit confused - is the chicken you are buying cooked or is it just prepped and seasoned?

If it is just prepped and seasoned/marinated, your children might just be enjoying the flavors of whatever is being used for the chicken. Because logically I can't imagine why a child (or anyone) would have such a strong preference for a piece of chicken based on how it is cooked - assuming that it is roasted or whatever properly so it isn't dry and has flavor.

Now a fun way to cook a chicken is a beer can chicken. I used to make this a lot. You stick a beer or soda can up the chicken's tush and the moisture creates a moist beer and the flavors permeate the chicken. It's classically done with just beer but people do their own versions because you can put any flavored liquid into a can.

Your children might also like the "rotisserie" chicken that is cooked in a crockpot. It creates a very delicious moist bird. It is not a pretty bird because it collapses when it is done but it is a good dish when presentation isn't important. It's also easy as heck.

My go to super easy chicken recipe is Unbelievable Chicken. It creates such a delicious result and the leftovers are succulent and moist. I generally marinate for 24 hours to maximize flavor.

Unbelievable Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons prepared coarse-ground mustard
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

In a large glass bowl, mix the cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Discard marinade.

The chicken is ready to bake. Raw, but preseasoned. The one I bought today is raw, not seasoned.
They love it because it's moist and flavorful without any fancy seasonings or sauces
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thepickled




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 11:09 am
Spatchcock is just a way of butchering the chicken to provide a more even surface for the heat to penetrate. The thighs and breasts cook in tandem. Generally the breast is ready faster and they tend to overcook and dry out while the thighs reach the right temperature. Spatchcocking the chicken gets rid of that issue and also creates a lot of crispy skin surface area.
If your kids like it better maybe they just like perfectly roast chicken where everything is tender and juicy.
You can spatchcock a chicken yourself by cutting out the backbone, then flipping the chicken and pressing down on the breastbone until it lays flat.
You can use any whole chicken recipe (or chicken parts) but you might want to adjust the cooking time as this will cook a bit faster. An internal temp thermometer is the best way to check for doneness.
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Mar 10 2021, 11:29 am
Amelia Bedelia wrote:
The chicken is ready to bake. Raw, but preseasoned. The one I bought today is raw, not seasoned.
They love it because it's moist and flavorful without any fancy seasonings or sauces

Foe 1 chicken:

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of thyme and black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together all spices before using.
Pull the skin back gently and rub into the chicken, all over including under the skin and on the bottom.
Pull back skin to cover chicken. Rub skin with olive oil. Sprinkle with extra paprika if needed.
Bake uncovered at 400 for 1 hour.

This mix looks simple but it's deceptive because it comes out so delicious.
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