Spatchcocking a chicken simply refers to butterflying it ie. flattening it so that it cooks quicker than if it were in its original state. This method of cooking chicken is more affordable than buying chicken in pieces, it saves you from turning on the oven with the days warming up and it will add another feather in your fat with your grilling repertoire.

 

Oh, it’s delicious too! This recipe is inspired by the numerous times I’ve had chicken served to me like this: spatchcocked, drizzled with olive oil, lemon, dried Greek oregano (Holy Trinity of Greek cuisine) and for an Umami punch – grated Kefalotyri cheese. Let’s do this!

Greek-Style Spatchcocked Chicken

(serves 4-6)

1 whole chicken

salt and pepper

extra-virgin olive oil

lemons

grated Kefalotyri cheese (or Romano Pecorini)

dried Greek oregano

Marinade

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup dry white wine

2 Tbsp. mustard

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of grated onion

3 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. sweet paprika

3 bay leaves

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1. Mix all ingredients for marinade together.
2. Prepare chicken, trim away excess fat. Then use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to cut the chicken through the backbone. Open out, turn over and flatten by pressing down with your hand along the breast.
3. Make a small cut under each wing to help it flatten further. Make several incisions in the flesh with a knife. This will allow the flesh to absorb the marinade and allow fat to drain. Prick all over with a large fork.
4. Add the marinade and chicken in a casserole dish and cover the chicken well with marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours (take chicken out of fridge and allow one hour to return to room temperature. Remove excess marinade and discard. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
5. Turn on your gas grill. Use indirect heat by having only the one side of the grill on medium-high heat (375F). Place the chicken backside-down on indirect heat side, drop the lid and roast for 30-35 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken is 160F.
6. Pick up the chicken and place skin side-down on direct heat side and grill for 10 minutes to crisp up the skin. Your chicken’s internal temperature should be 165F or until juices run clear.
7. Transfer your chicken to a platter, drizzle olive oil, squeeze lemon juice , grate Kefalotyri cheese, sprinkle dried Greek oregano and serve.