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How to Butterfly a Chicken

July 16, 2009 by Nicole 19 Comments

My favorite way to grill chicken is to butterfly (a.k.a. spatchcock) a whole bird, flatten it, and place it directly on the grill with a large brick on top to weigh it down.  Pollo al Mattone, or Chicken Under a Brick is a Tuscan style of grilling chicken and the results are fantastic!  The chicken cooks quickly since it is flattened under the weight of the brick and you end up with skin so crispy and delicious, a fight might break out before it hits the table.

I have a butterflied chicken marinating in the fridge right now that I plan on grilling later this afternoon.  I’m documenting all the steps with my camera, and I’ll show you the results tomorrow.  But in the meantime, I want you to watch this great video on how to butterfly a chicken, courtesy of the folks over at The Virtual Weber Bullet.  Since this is a skill I’ve only picked up recently, I figure there are a few others out there who might benefit from the lesson as well!

Filed Under: Tips and Tricks, Video Tagged With: chicken, Tips and Tricks

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. leah says

    July 16, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    wow- this is so crazy, i was just thinking about how I had to cook chicken tomorrow, and I had to learn how to butterfly it when I noticed that you updated your blog! Brilliant! Thanks for posting the instructional video, will def put this to good use! Leah
    Reply
  2. Jen Schall @ My Kitchen Addiction says

    July 16, 2009 at 3:37 pm

    I can't believe I have never done this before... the video is great and maeks it seem easy. I will have to give this a try.
    Reply
  3. Hilda says

    July 16, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Too easy, that was great. Thanks for sharing this.
    Reply
  4. B says

    July 16, 2009 at 8:59 pm

    Hmmm. I've butterflied for years but I've always just cut the little piece in front of the keel allowing it to flatten. I've never removed the keel. I think I'll try it next time. Seems like quartering the chicken after I'm done cooking would be a smidge easier.
    Reply
  5. ThisPrimalLife says

    July 17, 2009 at 11:21 am

    Looks like fun! It probably tastes a lot better than dried out breasts on the grill. Can't wait to try this.
    Reply
  6. Görel says

    July 17, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    That's a great idea! You use more of the chicken this way and it probably tastes better too. Thanks for the tip and the video!
    Reply
  7. pam says

    July 17, 2009 at 7:18 pm

    I just did this last weekend and it was the best grilled chicken that I've ever done!
    Reply
  8. Sophia from Kitchen Caravan says

    July 20, 2009 at 8:45 am

    This sounds like a great way to cook chicken! Thanks for the advice.
    Reply
  9. Michelle says

    July 22, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    Nicole... what a great idea for cooking chicken. I can't wait to try this. I'm so happy that I stumbled upon your website... very impressive :)
    Reply
  10. Bill Medifast says

    July 28, 2009 at 9:44 am

    This is something I love doing with smaller sided chickens. Really helps get much more out of the little guys and the recipe options are amazing.Thanks for your video, now my wife can learn how to do this too! She has wanted to learn, but I always seem to forget.
    Reply
  11. Christine says

    August 3, 2009 at 10:18 am

    Amazing idea. I usually just do a roasted chicken but I think this would be an even better idea. Thanks for sharing this and the video! Quite helpful.
    Reply
  12. donna says

    December 2, 2009 at 10:17 am

    I am looking for instruction on how to debone a turkey. I want to roll it in the skin, light and dark meat along with stuffing and roast. It should look kind of like a football when done...can anyone help me out
    Reply
  13. Issac Maez says

    January 17, 2010 at 2:31 pm

    Great blog and post, keep it up i will be subscribing to your feed!
    Reply
  14. Cat says

    February 14, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    This is a great video, thanks so much for posting it. My husband is the chef in the house, but he had to have major spinal surgery earlier this year. He can't use his right hand anymore (temporarily, thank goodness!) but he has had a hankering for chicken under bricks. Thanks to your video, I'll be able to prepare it for him tonight for a Valentine's Day surprise! :)
    Reply
  15. Erin says

    June 23, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    Very nicely done!
    Reply

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