Flat Basket Rotisserie Spatchcock Chicken

We love a spatchcock chicken for a quick meal and you can choose to cook it direct or indirect.  This time we’ve cooked direct using the flat basket on the rotisserie.  We’ve kept the seasoning really simple and used just salt and pepper.

Spatchcocking (or butterflying) a chicken is a technique where the backbone is taken out and the meat is flattened.  The benefits of spatchcocking a chicken:

  • cooks evenly
  • reduces cooking time
  • crispy skin
  • easy cook
  • looks impressive

It’s very simple to do, just take a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, ideally shears, and cut along each side of the backbone.  Once you’ve removed the backbone, flip it over, place one hand on top of the other in the centre of the chicken and lean forward applying pressure so that the bird flattens out.

BBQ Temperature

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken
  • The rub of your choice, or simply salt and pepper
  • oil, to baste

Equipment

Method

  1. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut down either side of the backbone, then flip your chicken and flatten it with the palm of your hands.
  2. Brush your chicken with a bit of oil, season with salt and pepper or your spice rub of choice.
  3. Place your chicken in to your flat basket. Clip one end of the retaining side in and then squeeze the other end down to tightly hold the chicken.
  4. Cook your chicken at 180°C, don’t go too hot, you’ll dry it out. You will need to close the air vents on your Egg slightly more than normal for 180°C, as air escapes out past the spit rod at the sides of the Egg.
  5. You’re aiming for an internal temperature of  75°C .

Cooking a large chicken like this will take about 45 minutes normally.

Try to rest your chicken for at least 30 minutes before carving. Just wrap it in good quality foil. Tent it loosely if you want to retain the crispy skin.

We cooked this and paired it with: