How to Spatchcock a Sutton Hoo Chicken

One of the best ways to cook a whole chicken on the BBQ is to spatchcock and marinade it. The process removes the backbone, flattening the bird, meaning it cooks through quickly and more evenly.

Our general manager and chicken connoisseur, Will, takes you through how to prepare a chicken with this technique. With an easy to follow, step-by-step guide which takes less than two minutes.

A spatchcock chicken can also be pan fried, grilled, or roasted, which means this preparation technique will take you from sunny summer evenings on the BBQ, to wintery dinners and Sunday roasts.

Step by Step Guide

1.     Remove the string and pull out the legs so that they aren’t tucked in. Turn it onto it’s front and pull out the wings too.

2.     Start with scoring down the spine of the chicken, from the parson’s nose to the neck. Using a sharp knife, carefully score down either side.

3.     Then taking a pair of meat sheers or a sturdy pair of scissors, cut down either side of the spine, removing it completely. You may want to watch the video guide for this step.

4.     Turn the chicken back over and using a little force, press down to flatten it out.

5.     Finally, rearrange the legs and wings, away from the main carcass, ready to be cooked.

Now you have your spatchcock chicken prepared, it’s time to marinade it. Try our delicious Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon, Herbs and Salsa Verde.