I took the leftovers from this dish to work for my lunch and my boss who had just purchased Popeye’s chicken asked me, “watcha got there?” Believe it or not, I get that question a few times a week. So I asked him, “have you ever spatchcocked a chicken?” I first noticed his eyes and how they had grown to such a fantastic state, as if, you know, well, as if I had just asked him if he ever spatchcocked a chicken. I inferred I should be careful with anything else I may “accuse” him of having ever done. He replied, “do WHAT to a chicken"? “Spatchcock it", I said, and he, while shifting uneasily in his seat, replied, “um…no…have you?” “Ah…yes, that’s what this is.”

And it was…and it was good too; if I don’t say so myself. I have been surprising myself with some of my dishes for some time now. I’ve began to wonder if I have functioning taste buds. I have had others eat my creations and reassure me that some things that I make are a bit tasty. Well, this one was good! My wife didn’t much care for chicken before I began cooking it for her. The idea of a piece of chicken having the consistency of wired sandpaper is a bit of a deterrent for her.

I was inspired to make this dish after watching one of my favorites, “Good Eats", when Alton made a broiled chicken, “butterflied” he called it. This is a procedure my chickens get when grilled on the Brinkman and not smoked. When smoked, I leave them in tact and must be careful of the breast meat not drying out; they’re usually brined to prevent just that.

I have always called it spatchcocked, because, well…because I’m a guy who likes saying spatchcock. I know, it’s pretty juvenile, but, again, I’m a guy, and what’s not juvenile about guys? Maybe I am generalizing. I mean, maybe Dick Cheney doesn’t like saying spatchcock and maybe he has his, you know, reasons - he may hurt somebody.

Here I took a chicken, a roaster, spatchcocked it by removing the backbone, keel bone, cut off the tips of the wings, seasoned it up, and got to broiling. The lemon and mushroom sauce just rounded it all out. Check it out.

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To spatchcock the bird, from Alton:

Place chicken on a plastic cutting board breast-side down. Using kitchen shears, cut ribs down one side of back bone and then the other and remove. Open chicken like a book and remove the keel bone separating the breast halves by slicing through the thin membrane covering it, then by placing two fingers underneath the bone and levering it out. Turn chicken breast-side up and spread out like a butterfly by pressing down on the breast and pulling the legs towards you.

Let’s start with:
1 4 lb roaster (chicken spatchcocked)
1 tbsp pink peppercorns
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp plugra (or regular unsalted butter)
1 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
about 2 cups mushrooms (I used fresh criminis, oysters, and baby bellas

Preheat the broiler at 500, or as high as your oven goes. Place the oven rack to where it is 8 inches below the broiler element. Prepare a roasting pan by spraying it generously with non-stick spray.

Pulverize the peppercorns, adding the olive oil, juice from 1/2 lemon, rosemary, garlic, and plugra or butter.

Add the zest of one lemon. I just love this device:

Carefully, using fingers, dislodge the breast skin and rub the spice mixture under it. Rub the mixture all over the bird reserving about a tablespoon.

Place the bird in the roasting pan breast-side up. Put it into the oven, making sure to leave the door ajar, and let the bird roast until the skin is browned and crispy, about 10-12 minutes.

Flip the bird and let it roast for another 20-25 minutes more, until you can shake hands with the leg and it feels loose and the juices run clear. You will want an instant-read thermometer to read 165 degrees-f at the leg/thigh. Carefully flip bird skin side up and let it go for another 3-5 minutes.

Remove chicken, place on a cutting board and tent while you make the mushroom sauce.

Take the roasting pan and place over two burners over high heat, add the wine, shrooms, the rest of the plugra, stock, and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook over high heat until shrooms are tender, about 4 minutes.

Carve chicken and give everyone the pieces they want. All of it will be juicy and tasty with a crispy skin.