Spatchcocking

Spatchcocking is a butchery technique, applied mainly to smaller birds such as chicken, in which the backbone and sometimes the breastbone are cut out so the bird can be pressed and opened flat. It is a specific form of the more general technique of butterflying, cutting an ingredient nearly in two while leaving it hinged together so it opens like a book, and the term is thought to be an old Irish shortening of dispatch cock, describing a bird split down the back and spread flat for grilling. Removing the backbone and flattening the bird lets heat reach all parts of it more evenly during grilling, roasting or sous vide cooking, which shortens cooking time and produces more consistently cooked meat than roasting the bird whole.