Spatchcock the Chicken:

1. Get yourself set up on a large cutting board or rimmed sheet tray. Make sure the marinade is ready and standing by. If you're marinating this overnight like I do, have your storage container ready to go before you start handling the raw chicken.
2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board or rimmed baking tray. Using a heavy duty pair of poultry shears, begin at the tail and snip up one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side and remove the backbone (save for stock!).
3. I like to open the ribcage up and pop the breast bone a bit before flipping the chicken over and pressing down firmly to really flatten and open it up. That's it! You just spatchcocked a chicken!
4. Next, smear half of the marinade on each side of the chicken. Feel free to slide some under the skin if you want. Now for the best flavor, I like to cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for a few hours. If you want to grill right away you will still have a delicious grilled chicken!
5. Give your hands and any surfaces the chicken touched a good scrub with hot, soapy water.

Grill the Chicken:

1. Heat grill over medium-high heat until hot. Make sure grates are brushed clean and lightly oil them with a paper towel or rag using long tongs and using a back to front motion to avoid any flare-ups. Lightly oil the skin side of the chicken and place skin side down on the grill. Close grill lid with vents open and grill for 15-20 minutes on the skin side.
2. Flip and cook another 20 minutes in the same manner.
3. After the second 20 minutes, I like to turn the heat off under the chicken and leave the other two burners on. This allows the grill to work more like an oven while the chicken cooks through without becoming overly charred. This also ensures juicy meat and crispy skin.
4. Cook chicken until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. The temp will rise a bit as it rests. The total cooking time for a 4 pound chicken will be about 45-50 minutes.
5. Remove from grill and let rest a few minutes before carving and serving. Another bonus of a grilled spatchcocked chicken is it is so easy to carve!

Charcoal Grilling Instructions

I recommend setting up your coals on one half of the grill, leaving one side as an indirect heat source. Cook in the same manner as instructed above, but move to the indirect heat for the final 10-20 minutes of cooking.