Happy New Year, everyone! 2022 is here and I'm ready for it to be AWESOME! I figured I'd start out the new year with something just about everyone loves: roasted chicken! Seriously, who doesn't love a big, fat roasted bird? No one in my friend list, I can assure you. Unless it's my handful of vegan and vegetarian friends who no longer allow themselves the pleasure, but I bet they miss the yummy goodness of some good, ole' roasted chicken skin!! Crunchy and fabulous!! Hey--more for me, right? Haaaaaaa!
So, this post isn't about your run-of-the-mill roasted bird. I'm sharing a method with you that allows for beautiful, even cooking so that you'll never serve another dry, tasteless bird ever again!! I'm talking about the SPATCHCOCK method. It's simply the process of removing the backbone of the bird, then spreading it out flat and breaking the breastbone so the bird lays as flat as possible. That's it. It sounds brutal and a bit harsh but--it's a dead bird and I doubt it minds much if you remove his backbone. In the video link below, I explain the process and show you exactly how to make it happen. Be sure to have on hand a pair of quality kitchen shears or some kind of nipper than can cut through bone. That's all you need to make it happen.
See how nicely the bird roasts up? The skin is nice and crispy, and the meat is tender and juicy. Even the breast meat is oozing with juice because you've not cooked it too long in a hot oven. There's a misconception that you have to cook the Hell out of a chicken to make it safe. Seriously, you just need to cook it until the internal temperature measures 180° F, and the juices run clear at the joint.
Our New Year's meal was quite a success!! Where's the pork, right? After all, you're supposed to eat pork on New Year's Day! Well, I cooked the collard greens with a few thick slices of hog jawl meat and let me just tell you how fabulous they tasted! Mercy!! But the star of the plate is the roasted chicken and it was superb in every way! I saved the bones and whipped up a lovely pot of chicken stock---I urge you to always save your bones! Homemade stock is far superior to what you purchase in the store! And it's super easy to make--it just requires some time.
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Tutorial Video:
Recipe available for printing or saving:
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