Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Barefoot Contessa's Tuscan Grilled Chicken


As I probably should have guessed, I've already gotten two emails asking me to explain "spatchcocked chicken," so here's how it's done.  Once you've flattened a chicken this way, you'll see what I mean about Sadie's pose on the floor.....not really ladylike.

Place the whole chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using poultry shears (or a knife, if you’re good), cut from the neck to the tailbone on either side of the backbone to remove it. The bird is now shaped like a file folder, for lack of a better description. Make a small slit in the cartilage at the base of the breastbone, and grab the bird with both hands, and open up like a book, facing down towards the cutting board. Remove the keel bone (it’s triangular, sort of), so you can open it completely flat, but it’s still one piece.

Now that you've done this to the chicken, you might as well make Ina Garten's Tuscan Chicken recipe, which is a favorite of mine. (Click on the link below...it's really a link, though Blogspot has made it some lovely shade of chartreuse.) For the record, I have a gas grill, and it works just fine.

Barefoot Contessa Tuscan Chicken

5 comments:

  1. 'spatchcocked'....never heard of it but i must say it sounds a bit kinky? (just kidding)... wonder what term could be put to chicken w/a beer can ( up its rear)?

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  2. I'm sure there is a word for that, but that's for another blog.....

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  3. I love Ina Garten! She's one of my favorites on food network. This chicken looks divine!

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  4. That is a delicious looking chicken! Grilled to perfection!-- Randy

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  5. Love this chicken recipe ... great photo (but I feel like saying to the poor chicken ... ouch!)

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