For Irresistible Chicken, Just Divide And Conquer

Turns out you can have it all, and reliably cook your best bird ever (in about half the time) by mastering the relatively easy trick of spatchcocked poultry. All you'll need is a sharp knife or pair of kitchen shears and a quick brush-up on bird anatomy.

In addition to looking absolutely fab in an Anolon Vesta 12-inch Enameled Cast Iron Skillet, the chef-friendly benefits of spatchcocking are twofold. For one, the flattened poultry is much easier to manage and handle from stovetop to oven than a large, trussed bird. Even better, the position of the breasts relative to the thighs allows for faster, crispy-golden and even roasting. Breast meat tends to dry out beyond 150°F, but thighs need to roast to 175°F. By spatchcocking, you expose the legs to higher heat, helping to keep the breast meat juicy as the whole bird crisps to perfection.

To get from a big bird to a better bird, you'll want to place your chicken or turkey breast side down on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or shears, cut along each side of the backbone and completely remove the bone (we suggest saving the bone to make delicious chicken stock). Then, simply open the bird up like a book. Some cracking of bones is completely normal here. You can then either score the cartilage of the breastbone with a knife, or remove the bone entirely for an even flatter presentation.

Got it? Good. Now get your skilled self into the kitchen and see how easy it is to pull off a sumptuous, weekend-worthy Spatchcocked Chicken with Truffle Butter and Mushrooms, or, if you're looking for something a little more workweek friendly, try out our Weeknight Spatchcocked Chicken with Lemon-Caper Butter — from stovetop sear to roasted perfection, both recipes come together in just about 45 minutes.