Ok, won’t be long here as this is sort of a post to remind you of old posts, but then putting them all together in one cohesive new post. Ya dig?
On my IGTV today, you see me demo how to Spatchcock a chicken, which is also something you can do for your Thanksgiving turkey! Same exact method, just a bigger bird in need of a bigger roasting space. That’s all.
Spatchcock. Ok, so Spatchcock is essentially to flatten it, or sort-of butterfly it. More surface area gets exposed to the heat contact, creating more yummy crispy bits, the breast won’t dry out, and it cooks in about half the time.
See more of what I wrote on it HERE.
I’ve done it in a cast-iron skillet before (classic / pretty), but sometimes I don’t feel like washing a pan, so I line a baking sheet with foil and do it all on there. You can press it down with another foil lined pan (like a cast iron!) for a quicker roast, or not. Any way you do it, it’s good.
And on my IGTV you see me using dukkah to season my bird. Dukkah is an Egyption spice and nut blend and it . is . divine . I made a batch last year and it still held up for this latest round of Spatchcock Chicken (because I kept it sealed, airtight, in my cool and dark spice drawer). See another way I’ve used it before HERE. (hint – it’s an excellent cocktail snack 😉 )
And here’s how you make it :
Dukkah
In a dry skillet, combine the following :
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 TB sesame seeds
- 2 TB coriander seeds
- 1 TB fennel seeds
- 1 TB cumin seeds
- 1/2 TB pink peppercorns
- 1/2 TB black peppercorns
- 2 tsp kosher salt
Toast it all on medium heat. Shake it a bit as you go. Take it off the heat when it becomes fragrant… 2-3 minutes.
Then just toss it all in a spice grinder, or do what I did after I saw my spice grinder was DunZo and go old school with a mortar and pestle :
Store in an airtight jar / container with a lid in a cool and dark place for months and months. If it still smells good, it’s good.
I also mention in my IGTV that I ran out of dukkah mid-breast season. So I quickly grabbed (with my clean hand) my jar of Chinese 5 Spice. There’s a lot of carry-over flavors there, so I knew it would be a great booster. And then you also get a tip on what to use in place of Chinese 5 Spice if you don’t have it / have copious amounts of this seasonal spice blend on hand and don’t know what to do with it all…
Pumpkin Pie Spice!
yup.
Use Pumpkin Pie Spice along with some kosher salt as a seasoning for your chicken, pork or lamb and it’s killer. It is very close to what you get from a 5 Spice Blend, but just a bit easier to find 😉
Ok so it wouldn’t be a Spatchcock Chicken post if I didn’t link to an old video of me from my about-to-be Food Network days…
Aaaand back to reality.
I won’t go into any more detail about the recipe / method for Spatchcock Chicken, because you’ve now got a old post (HERE) and that video up there (YoutTube link HERE) AND current me doing a demo for you on my IGTV whilst juggling a couple of other things in the kitchen a.k.a. Abbey Normal.
I think I’ve got you covered in the land of Spatchcocking…
But I do hope you consider this easy and delicious method the next time you find yourself with a whole chicken ready to be cooked. Or maybe even your turkey this year!
Spatchcock Chicken and Veggies
cut that backbone out, flatten her, season her, surround her with sturdy vegetable love and roast on a high temp until done (30-45 minutes depending on the size of your bird and oven).
DONE.
Also, it works just as well in the summertime when you have a ton of garden zucchini to use up. Just give the bird a head start and add the veggies around it in the last 20 minutes or so.
And notice the backbone roasting along side the bird… that’s for snackin’, chef.
thanks for reading, y’all! if you don’t already, follow me on instagram so you don’t miss a thing.
much love x
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