Butterflied Chicken 2

Butterflied Chickens - The Weekend Griller Way - Continued

Butterflied Chickens - Part 2

If you missed Part 1 -- Click Here to go to Part 1 of Butterflied Chicken 

Directions - Continued:

5. Rotate the chicken so the drumsticks are pointing away from you.
6. Use a paring knife to make a small cut in the white cartilage that conceals the top of the breastbone. Bend both halves of the carcass backward at the cut to expose the breastbone. It should pop right up through the cut.
7. Run your thumbs or index fingers down both sides of the breastbone to bluntly dissect it from the meat, and then pull the bone out.
8. Remove any excess fat from the carcass. You may also want to tuck the wing tips under the skin to protect from burning them.

 
Rinsing the chicken thoroughly under cold running water is not necessary from a food safety standpoint, since proper cooking will kill any bacteria but you should always follow the USFDA Safe Cooking Guidelines:

• Always keep poultry refrigerated, even when in a marinade, until it's ready for cooking.
• Always thaw frozen poultry in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. You can usually thaw a chicken this way overnight.
• If any part of the bird has an odd or "off" odor, discard the entire chicken. Before cooking the chicken, wash it, inside and out, with cold water and then pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the paper towels.
• Cook whole poultry to a temperature of 180°F (take measurement in the thigh).
• Thoroughly wash your hands, the utensils, and the work surface when you're done.

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