Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken!!

I love to grocery shop!  Have I mentioned that lately?

It's snowy right now, so it made sense this morning to just stay local, at the Super One, only 4 blocks from my house.  Although I knew I needed to stock up, I took a big cart.  I wasn't expecting to spend $213.00! I found so many great things though! This beauty was sitting with its friends, in the chicken case, quietly calling my name. I started it even before unpacking the rest of the groceries! Cooking a spatchcocked chicken is exciting!!

First, remove the package of 'innards' and wash it, inside and out, with cool water then dry it.  Put the chicken on a big cutting board or your kitchen counter - breast side down.  Using sharp kitchen shears, cut through on either side of the backbone.  If you have trouble with the scissors, use a sturdy, sharp knife.  Turn it over and push down on the breastbone to flatten it.  You'll probably hear a few snaps.  Put it in a big roasting pan that has a cover.

Decide on your 'fat' and seasonings. I thought about using butter or coconut oil with some really good lemon pepper, but then decided on bacon and a black, green and red, dry pepper seasoning blend.  Oil-browned poultry is also excellent! If you'd like to try that, use a good quality dark, single-country-source, Italian or Moroccan, EVOO and season with finely ground Italian seasonings, Mediterranean seasoning, Cajun seasoning or just Himalayan pink salt and fresh ground pepper. Now. . .your chicken is ready for the oven. 

I always roast chicken, Cornish hens and turkey, in a way that's opposite everyone else. What I like to do is quick brown them, uncovered, in a 400°- 435° oven. Listen for it to start sizzling.  Once it's scenting your kitchen, after about an hour from the starting time, remove it from the oven. Quickly poke and baste it a little.  If it's getting brown and crispy you can put it back another half hour at 400°, or if you'd rather, you can cover it now and reduce the temperature to 325°. Mine is 6-1/2# and roasted an hour at 435°, and an hour at 325°.

Roast until a fork inserted into the breast and thigh comes out very easily. At the end of the cooking time, you can also uncover, poke, baste, and turn the heat up again, to crisp it up even further.

I don't have specific plans for the meat.  Once it's cool, I'll pull all the meat off the bones and into 4oz. portions, for individual servings. I can use several for soup or casseroles. I'll return the skin and bones to the roasting pan, add 6-8c fresh, cold, filtered water, whole black peppercorns, ⅓c apple cider vinegar, and simmer on very low heat, for 6-8 hours to make bone broth. The vinegar is an important element since it will pull the collagen out of the bones. You can add vegetables, onion tops and bottoms, carrot peelings or a couple carrots, bell peppers--seeds and cores, celery bottoms and stalks, all cut in chunks, celery greens, garlic. . .for flavor.

Chicken's in the freezer
Broth is simmering - 4 hours to go. . .

After the broth is simmered, strain out the bones and skin by pouring through a big colander. Chill it overnight. Remove the fat. You can melt this on your dog's dry food, or melt and strain it well, refrigerate and use it to sauté meat. Pour everything remaining through smaller mesh strainers a couple times, then finally through several layers of cheesecloth. Now it can be frozen, or refrigerated to use soon as fresh bacon infused chicken stock.

It's Winter! Buy a chicken to spatchcock! . .Lin