BBQ recipes, product reviews, & how-to's
Buffalo chicken sliders are perfect for any party or tailgate! Combines that classic Buffalo hot sauce flavor with ranch and shredded chicken, then placed on a sweet Hawaiian roll with pepper jack cheese and topped with melted butter and ranch seasoning. Ingredients for the Buffalo…
This white bean chicken chili is a warm, hearty bowl of deliciousness that is also a healthier alternative to traditional red meat chili. Follow along and learn how to make this fall food that can be eaten any time of year! White Chicken Chili Recipe…
Want to make a flavorful chicken that is more evenly cooked and is done faster? Then smoked spatchcock chicken will become your favorite method for this yardbird! This complete guide will walk you through every step of the process, from how to brine, spatchcock chicken, and even breaking down the pieces after the cook.
This spatchcock chicken recipe calls for a whole chicken, also known as a broiler, roaster, or fryer chicken. You can find these in the meat section at most supermarkets. Even big box stores like Walmart will carry them. They range between 5-7 lbs., so select one that will be enough for your meal.
To get more flavor out of your poultry, it is recommended to put it in a brine. Brining is the process of soaking meat in a solution of salt and water. The ideal ratio for a chicken brine is 1/2 cup of kosher salt for one gallon of water. Brining helps meat have more flavor and retain more moisture, which is ideal for chicken.
This recipe will add more ingredients to the brine to add more flavor. To create your brine, get a large, food grade bucket and fill it with two gallons of water. Next, pour in one cup of salt, 1/2 cup sugar, two tablespoons seasoning (I use Santa Maria), and juice of one lime. Feel free to throw in a sprig a thyme to add a touch of earthy, woodsy flavor. Stir ingredients together until salt, sugar, and seasoning are dissolved. Place chicken in the brine bucket and place in the refrigerator.
It is recommended to brine chicken between 8-24 hours. Lesser time won’t help the meat and more time will make the chicken too salty. Once you are done brining chicken, remove from the brine and rinse the yardbird off with water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Spatchcocking a chicken simply means cutting out the backbone and breaking the breast bone to flatten the bird. This is also known as butterfly chicken. The reason this spatchcock chicken is effective is because you get a more even cook between the white and dark meats. The meat also cooks quicker. I do this with my smoked turkey recipe and it takes an hour or two off my cook time!
The best way for how to spatchcock a chicken is to cut down both sides of the spine. Using kitchen shears or a heavy duty kitchen knife, such as a chef’s knife or cleaver, will make the process easier. Remove the backbone and either set aside for making chicken stock or simply discard.
Turn the chicken over and press down on the center of the breasts. This will help flatten the chicken further to make for a more even cook.
Prepping the chicken is simple. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on top and rub around on the skin. Apply two tablespoons of seasoning all over the skin. Use more if you need.
This recipe calls for zesty Italian dressing which we will use later, but now is a good time to have it ready. Take chicken out to the preheated grill at 375 degrees over indirect heat with pecan wood.
With the grill preheated at 375 degrees over indirect heat, place your spatchcock chicken skin up on the grill. After 30 minutes on the grill, baste the chicken with zesty Italian dressing. This will add some more, well zesty, flavor to the chicken.
Cooking times can vary due to the size of the chicken you are cooking with, but rule of thumb says two hours is how long to smoke spatchcock chicken. For the best results, cook by temp, not time. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees in white meat (breast), 175 degrees in dark meat (thighs, drums, wings).
When measuring internal temps, it is best to insert the digital meat thermometer, such as the Thermapen ONE, into the center of the thickest part of the meat. Since dark meat is fattier and doesn’t dry out as fast, I always probe the white meat.
The key element to a moist chicken is to let it rest! I don’t like using that “m” word, but I use it to make a point. Allowing the smoked spatchcock chicken rest for 15 minutes will help the meat to stop cooking internally and retain juices. Because if you slice right away, those juices will come running out and your meat will be too dry.
A cooked, spatchcocked chicken will be fairly easy to break down. The easiest place to start is with the legs. Since this is a spatchcock chicken, the legs are basically held together by the skin. Slice along the very top of the thigh and it’s already separated! If you want to break down the leg, look for the joint between the thigh and drumstick. Bend the drum away from the thigh to find the right part in the joint to cut. Use a chef’s knife or paring knife to cut through.
To cut the wings off from the main part of the body, find the joint that connects the wing under the breast. You can bend back and either pull off or use the tip of your knife at the joint toward the main body to cut apart.
Finally, the chicken breast will take a little strategy. Slice down the center where the two breasts meet together, slightly toward the side you are cutting off first. As you cut down, you will feel your chef’s knife start to hit bone. This is the point where you cut down at a 45-degree angle and finish through with your blade level with the cutting board.
Check out these side dishes for the perfect pairings:
Dutch Oven Fries (Five Guys Copycat)
Brussels Sprouts w/Bacon and Parmesean
If you happen to have leftovers, then I highly recommend trying my chicken bacon ranch Hawaiian roll slider recipe!
Want to make a flavorful chicken that is more evenly cooked and is done faster? This smoked spatchcock chicken will become your favorite method for this yardbird!
NOTE: Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
Do you like hot wings, but also like that sweet flavor? These mango habanero chicken wings provide a nice balance of sweet and heat while taking your tastebuds for a ride. It’s makes for the best tailgate food! What are Drums and Flats? When buying…
Chicken bacon ranch Hawaiian roll sliders are some of the best tasting sliders I’ve ever made! Using Hawaiian rolls, chicken, bacon, ranch, and cheese, these bacon ranch chicken sliders are going to be the talk of your next gathering! What are Sliders? Sliders are basically…
BBQ chicken often gets overlooked on the menu, especially when up against other meats like brisket, pulled pork, or ribs. Chicken lollipops are bacon wrapped drumsticks you can eat with your hands!
Trimming the bone may take a few attempts to get down (good thing there are many of them in a pack), but the rest of the process is smooth sailing. Let’s walk through the process.
The most tedious part of making these is trimming the drumsticks. To French drumsticks, use a sharp knife and trim chicken drumsticks at the base of the meat, cutting all the way around until tendons and skin are completely disconnected.
Pull disconnected skin and tendon all the way down off the end of the bone, using a paper towel (or an actual towel) to help with grip. On the other side of the bone (where the meat is), I like to cut the tip of the bone and cartilage, as well as a sliver of meat to help create a flat surface for the chicken drumstick to stand. Trim off the remaining skin to expose meat.
This collage below shows the steps in the process.
This recipe calls for a dozen chicken drumsticks. You can find 12-packs in your local grocery stores, or even two six-packs will suffice. You can also half the recipe for a smaller audience if you need.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, place trimmed drumsticks and drizzle in olive oil. I like to use about a half cup. Mix around until all meat on drumsticks are covered. Lightly season each drumstick with your favorite seasoning or rub.
Remove the drumsticks from the bowl and individually wrap the meaty part of each with one strip of bacon. As you finish wrapping each one, tuck in the end of the bacon underneath itself. Season again.
Place the fully prepped bacon wrapped chicken lollipops standing up on the grill. Make sure grill is preheated to 375 degrees over indirect heat. I prefer to use cherry or pecan wood. You can cook these on the grill until the internal meat temp reaches around 170-175 degrees. You may be thinking to yourself, “isn’t chicken finished cooking when it reaches 165 degrees?” Yes, for white meat it is. Since drumsticks are dark meat, they finish cooking later. Aim for a temp between 175 to 185 degrees.
Using an instant read thermometer, such as the Thermoworks ONE, will help you get quick, accurate temps.
As the meat reaches the 150 degree range, dip the bacon wrapped chicken lollipops in BBQ sauce. Place back on the grill and cook until internal meat temp reaches 170-175 degrees (reasons stated in previous section).
My favorite way to cook these is on a grill with two-zone cooking, using both direct and indirect heat. If you have the ability to use direct heat on your grill, then place the drumsticks over the direct heat to help get the bacon a little more crispier. Make sure to also lay it on their sides as to not burn one spot of the chicken.
Note that you can use a strictly indirect heat source, such as a pellet grill, and cook these just fine.
After you pull these from the grill, make sure to let it rest a few minutes to allow it to finish cooking internally. Make sure to snap a few pics during this time to brag to your friends and family.
When stored in an airtight container and placed in the refrigerator, chicken lollipops are good for up to three days. If placed in the freezer, they will be good for a month.
Here are some other recipes that pair well with these:
Honey Glazed Teriyaki BBQ Ribs
Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
BBQ chicken lollipops wrapped in bacon are both an eye-catcher and a tasty crowd pleaser!
1. If you have a grill set up for two-zone cooking (direct and indirect heat at the same time), then move BBQ chicken drumsticks over to direct side after saucing.
2. I like to cut the tips off both sides of the bone: the meat end to help it stand, the handle end because I think it looks cool.
This post is sponsored by Kingsford and I used Kingsford Wood Pellets for cooking all of these recipes in this post. Most folks who cook on the grill primarily use it for meats. While cooking meat on the grill is my jam, just know you…
I enjoy BBQing up a variety of proteins and chicken is one that gets much love in my household (even though it may not on my social media accounts). I love cooking chicken spatchcocked and this Spatchcocked Lemon Garlic Chicken is a simple recipe that packs…
When it comes to smoking a bird, you may of heard some people mention spatchcock. It’s a funny word for sure, but what is it exactly mean? Well, you’ve come to the right place. I’m going to explain the what, why, and how of spatchcocking.
What? Simply put, spatchcock is the method of flattening the bird by removing the backbone (some also remove the sternum).
Why? Flattening the bird helps it cook faster and for smoking reasons can help get that smoke flavor to the inside meat better.
How? To effectively remove the backbone of the bird, you’ll want to lay the bird chest side down (NOTE: make sure you have at least brined the bird before putting on the grill).
Next, you’ll want to grab a chef’s knife or whichever knife you feel is sturdy enough to cut through bone (while I do own a Japanese-style Santoku knife, I refrain from using it to cut bone because the blade is so thin and this style has been known to chip when cutting harder objects). You will want to feel for the backbone by rubbing your fingers down the middle of the back and cut close to the left and right of the spine, respectively.
If you’re having a hard time finding the spine, you can always look in the cavity of the bird to help guide you. Not only do you want a decent sharpness to the blade, but you’ll need to apply some pressure on the blunt part of the blade to help crack those bones so you can cut through completely (NOTE: if you’re like me and have a spouse who cringes at the sound of breaking bones of a dead bird, then you may want to give a warning. Not that I speak from experience or anything).
Dispose of the backbone and you are now ready to prep your bird however you like and put on the smoker!
BBQ Smoked Chicken Wings are LIFE! I think you’re gonna love these BBQ smoked chicken wings. I used to have a casual relationship with chicken wings. I’ve liked them, but never enough to base a meal around…that is, unless some buddies wanted to meet up…
