How to Butterfly Poultry

Poultry such as chicken can be butterflied, or have its back cut in half and its two halves opened like a book or a pair of butterfly wings. This is done by removing the backbone and pulling the right and left sides apart and placing the chicken's interior down in direct contact with a cooking pan or grill, making it cook faster due to its increased cooking surface. Once you butterfly the poultry, you can smear flavorings such as butter with rosemary or insert stuffing under the skin. Does this Spark an idea?

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Whole chicken
Cutting board
Kitchen shears

Instructions

- 1
  
  Place the chicken or other poultry breast side down onto your cutting board. Locate the backbone in the center of the bird that is now facing you--you should be able to feel it through the skin if you press your fingers along the middle of the chicken's back. Hold onto the cavity of the chicken with one hand and with the kitchen shears in the other, and start to cut along the backbone of the bird as close to the spine as you can.
- 2
  
  Cut along the other side of the backbone, placing the shears as close to the spine as you can while you cut it out. Once you have cut down both sides of the backbone, pull it out of the bird.
- 3
  
  Pick the chicken up by the bottom of the right and left sides and open it like you would a book. Turn the chicken over, breast side up and place it on the cutting board. Place the bottom or heels of the palms of your hands onto the breastbone and ribs of the chicken and press down on it, using your whole body weight to flatten it down.