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Marinated Spatchcocked Chicken

4 servings

• 1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) chicken, neck and giblets removed
• 2 to 3 cups marinade of your choice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

To prepare chicken, cut out backbone. Remove keel bone (between breasts), and flatten chicken by placing hands on rib cage with breasts facing down, and turn wrists away from your body as you press down. (See instructions).

Cover chicken with marinade. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Thirty minutes before cooking, remove from marinade, shake off excess and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat, or 375 degrees. Place chicken breast-side down, and grill, turning every 15 minutes or so, for about 50 to 60 minutes, basting with more marinade with each turn. Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Spatchcock that chicken

1. Place the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board. Using poultry shears or a very sharp knife, cut from the neck to the tail end along either side of the backbone to remove. You'll be cutting through flesh and small bones, so you'll have to use some force; take special care if using a knife.

2. Once the backbone is out, you will have a clear view of the interior of the chicken. Make a small slit in the cartilage at the bottom end of the breast bones (it covers the dark keel bone underneath).

3. With both hands placed on the rib cage, open the chicken like a book, toward the cutting board. This will reveal the keel bone. Run your fingers up along either side of the cartilage in between the breasts to loosen it from the flesh.

4. Grab the keel bone and pull up to remove it, along with the attached cartilage.

5. Flip over and smooth the skin. You've spatchcocked your bird. Continue with recipe.

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