butterfly

How to roast a chicken quickly and evenly, with the crispiest skin around.

Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken Recipe

chicken,

(30 milliliters) light olive oil

salt and black pepper (see note)

(5 grams) baking powder (optional; see note)

onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

carrot,

rib celery, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)

bay leaf

(240 milliliters) dry vermouth or sherry

(5 milliliters) soy sauce

unsalted butter

(10 milliliters) juice lemon

Place oven rack in upper-middle position and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). Using sharp kitchen shears, remove spine from chicken and cut spine into 5 to 6 one-inch-long pieces. Set spine aside. Flatten chicken by placing skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to breastbone. Transfer to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Position chicken so that breasts are aligned with center of baking sheet and legs are close to edge. 

Drizzle chicken with 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil. Combine 1 tablespoon (15g) kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder (if using) in a small bowl. Sprinkle all over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with herbs, if using. Rub chicken to distribute seasoning evenly all over skin.

Roast chicken until thickest part of breast close to bone registers 150°F (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer and joint between thighs and body registers at least 175°F (80°C), about 45 minutes, reducing heat to 450°F (232°C) if chicken starts to darken too quickly.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil in a small saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add chicken spine and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add bay leaf and deglaze with vermouth or sherry and 1 cup (240ml) water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain out solids and return liquid to pan. Boil over medium-high heat until approximately 1/3 cup (80ml) remains, about 7 minutes. Whisk in soy sauce, butter, and lemon juice off heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove chicken from oven, transfer to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest 5 minutes before carving. Serve with hot jus.

Spatchcocking turkey cooks more evenly and more quickly than non-butterflied versions, for stunningly crisp skin and perfectly cooked white and dark meat. Bonus: this recipe makes a flavorful gravy from the pan drippings along the way.

Crisp-Skinned Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Turkey With Gravy Recipe

onions, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 quarts)

carrots,

celery, roughly chopped (about 1 quart

thyme

turkey

vegetable oil

salt and black pepper

bay leaves

butter

flour

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan with aluminum foil. Scatter 2/3rds of onions, carrots, celery and thyme sprigs across bottom of pan. Place slotted broiler rack or wire rack directly on top of vegetables.

Pat turkey dry with paper towels and rub on all surfaces with 1 tablespoon oil. Season liberally on all surfaces with salt and black pepper (if using a brined, salted, or Kosher turkey, omit salting step, see note). Tuck wing tips behind back. Place turkey on top of rack, arranging so that it does not overlap the edges, pressing down on the breast bone to flatten the breasts slightly.

Transfer turkey to oven and roast, rotating occasionally, until an instant read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150°F, and the thighs register at least 165°F, about 80 minutes.

While turkey roasts, make the gravy. Roughly chop the neck, backbone, and giblets. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 3 quart saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add chopped turkey parts and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add remaining onions, carrots, and celery and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften and brown in spots, another 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, remaining thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a bare simmer. Allow to cook 45 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh strainer into a 2 quart liquid measuring cup and discard solids. Skim off any fat from the surface of the broth.

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a 2 quart saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly until flour is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, add broth in a thin, steady stream until it it all incorporated. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until reduced to about 1 quart, about 20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and keep gravy warm.

When turkey is cooked, remove from oven and transfer rack to a new baking sheet. Allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before carving. Carefully pour any collected juices from out of the roasting pan through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup. Skim off excess fat and dicard. Whisk juices into gravy.

Juiciest Spatchcocked Turkey

poultry seasoning

black pepper

salt

carrots

onion

celery

Line a large rimmed baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray it with nonstick cooking spray.  Very coarsely chop the vegetables and scatter them over the pan.  Set aside.

Place the turkey on a large cutting board, breast side down.  Pat the turkey dry with some paper towels to make it easier to handle. Use a large pair of sharp poultry shears to cut the backbone out of the tukery.  Start at the tail and cut up one side of the back bone, then proceed to the other side. Some bones may be a little tougher to cut through, so you may have to use both hands on the shears.  You can also use a chef knife for this, but I find the shears much safer and easier. (You can discard the backbone or use it to make stock for gravy.)Then flip the turkey over and place both hands firmly in the center of the breast and press down with considerable force to flatten the turkey.  the flatter the better.  It may take a few tries and you&#x27;ll probably hear some bones breaking.  You can also now remove the excess skin around the neck and tail if you like.  Place the turkey on top of the vegetables.

In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, poultry seasoning, pepper, and salt together. Dry the turkey again with a few paper towels then liberally brush the entire turkey (including the inside) with the mixture.  You can even rub some under the skin of the breasts for even more flavor. Then tuck the wings tips under the turkey to keep them from burning.

Preheat the oven to 450°F and allow the turkey to rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes while it preheats.  Cook the turkey for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes (rotating the pan about halfway through cooking) or until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F (the breast should read about 155°F) when tested with a meat thermometer. The residual heat with continue to cook the bird once it&#x27;s out of the oven, so the temp will rise more even after being taken out.  If you find the turkey starting to burn, you can alwasy reduce the heat a bit or cover the darkest part of it with aluminum foil to keep it from getting too brown. Each turkey and oven is a little different so you may need to make some minor adjustments as it&#x27;s cooking to make sure it&#x27;s cooked completely without drying out.

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