Not as tricky as it sounds, to butterfly a whole chicken is simply to remove the backbone. It’s very, very easy to do and the benefits are several: the chicken will cook more quickly, it’s easier to carve, and more of that wonderful Sommerlad skin gets crispy. Mmmm – crisp, crackly skin!
All you’ll need for this task is a good quality pair of poultry shears and a Sommerlad Heritage Chicken.
Position the chicken with the backbone facing upwards. Start at the neck, and cut through the ribs on one side all the way through.
Open the bird and press lightly to flatten. Cut along the other side of the backbone and remove. Don’t throw this away (why am I telling you this? I know you will already have this set aside for roasting for stock!) as it’s perfect for, well, roasting alongside the bird and setting aside for stock.
Ahem.
If you want to, now is the time to tuck the wing tips under the breast.
That’s it – you are done!
(video replicated from my recipes.com)
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