I’ve decided on single word resolutions for 2012–which beckons.
My first is SIMPLIFY!
Something simple–for New Year’s Eve perhaps…?
I’m spatchcock-crazy at the moment.
To spatchcock or spattlecock or butterfly is to remove the back and breastbones of a chicken (simply and effectively demonstrated in this video) or any other bird (I just watched someone spatchcock a turkey!) in order to open it up and flattened it out–as you might do a book. This allows the bird to cook more quickly and evenly.
Spatchcocking is an easy and oddly satisfying technique. All you need is a pair of poultry shears or strong scissors and the nerve to try it! (Or your friendly butcher might do it for you….)
Earlier this week I had two spatchcocked birds in the fridge–a chicken and a guinea fowl–and two recipes I wanted to try.
I took the guinea fowl out to make this dish–inspired by a recipe in The River Café Classic Italian Cookbook .
We ate it thinking “How good this spatchcocked guinea fowl tastes!“.
The next day I went to the fridge to get the chicken, to marinade it overnight for the other recipe–and found the guinea fowl!
We’d eaten the chicken thinking it was guinea fowl!
I put it down to Christmas fever.
Ideal for serving four people–the bird (whichever comes to hand!) divides easily into quarters thus dispensing with the need to carve.
You could use chicken or guinea fowl quarters instead.
1 chicken--spatchcocked
2 lemons–halved
3 tblsps olive oil
6 bay leaves
salt and pepper
set oven to 200C
While the oven is heating–
- Squeeze the juice from two lemon halves into a pan, halve them and leave the quartered lemon in the pan with the bay leaves.
- Rub the skin of the chicken with the two remaining lemon halves.
- Lower the spatchcocked chicken over the lemon halves and the bay.
- Season well and spoon the oil over the chicken.
- Add the other two lemon halves to the pan.
- Cook–covered–on a low flame for 30 minutes.
- Uncover, spoon over some of the juice and place in the upper part of the pre-heated oven.
- Cook on for 40 minutes–checking and basting a couple of times.
Looks simply wonderful and wonderfully simple. I use lemon every chance I can. Can you provide a little information on the cooking pan? Large enough for a whole chicken, and, I imagine it conducts heat well, and has a cover. Happy new year–bonne annee.
Stainless steel, twenty seven centimetres wide, with a lid. I bought it in Italy and it has been very handy.
It is too shallow to take the chicken unspatchcocked but it’s perfect for the prepared bird.
A new word that I can’t wait to use! I’ve done this on the barbecue with delicious results. This recipe with lemons and bay leaves sounds light and yummy, after all the heavy holiday eating. Again, beautiful photography from Meredith!
Delicious…we ‘spatchcock’ a lot too…lemons are so wonderful with chicken (most things really!) I sprinkled ours with sumac last night too, for another layer of zing (& the skin tastes delicious cold too) Happy New Year to you both & looking forward to a 2012 full of the Ellis Wisdom!
Sumac’s a good idea–next time!
Happy new Year to you too, Rachel!
sounds lovely will give it a try – we have a baytree and |I use the leaves regularly in casseroles. Had to giggle at the mistake with the birds. keep the recipes coming.
This looks good and I bet it tastes good too. I’ve never spatchcocked a chicken, I’ll watch the video. Lemon and bay are two things I have on hand. Simple. Simple is good.
We made this the other night and found it was amazing! It was not just the recipe but the technique that was wonderful. There wasn’t any of the messy and time consuming browning required and the skin was a lovely mahogany colour and crispy.
It will be the starting-off point for a multitude of experiments with different herbs, like adding thyme, or spices, like cumin etc. and throwing in a few additions like apricots. Maybe we’ll try adding a Spanish flair to it with some saffron and green olive.. or would that be more like Esperaza, in Carcassone?
Thank you Robin!!
Jude (Type 2)
[…] Spatchcocked Chicken with Lemon and Bay Leaf […]