Pollo alla diavola (devil’s chicken) is the typical Italian dish for spatchcocked chicken. What does spatchcock mean? It’s a method of preparing any poultry or game bird for cooking by removing the backbone and flattening it out – butterflying in other words. So quail, duck, guinea fowl, and chickens large and small, can all be “spatchcocked”. Increasingly young chickens (called Cornish game hens in the USA) are referred to as spatchcocks, though the French term, poussin, is also used. Regardless of what you call them, small chickens are a perfect size for one or two people and are particularly quick and easy to cook once they’re flattened out. A simple marinade of garlic, chilli and lemon – called ‘alla diavola’ in Italian – makes them finger licking good; it’s also great with seafood (pesce alla diavola). A glass of Logan Weemala pinot gris is perfect alongside this spatchcock with chilli, garlic and lemon, with its gorgeous pale bronze blush and lemony tang. You can add some steamed rice or crusty bread to soak up all the delicious lemony, garlicky, spicy roasting juices from your pollo alla diavola too.
Serves 4
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Yes and no. Poussin means ‘chick’ or young chicken in French, known as Cornish game hen in the US. Spatchcock is a method of preparing poultry by butterflying or flattening it, but as it’s most commonly done with young chickens, it’s come to be used interchangeably with the word poussin.
Spatchcocking is a method of preparing any bird for cooking by removing the backbone and flattening it out – butterflying in other words. So quail, duck, guinea fowl, and chickens large and small, can all be “spatchcocked”. Increasingly young chickens – called poussin in Australia and the UK and Cornish game hens in the US – are referred to as spatchcocks.
Pollo alla diavola – literally ‘devil’s chicken’ in Italian – is a classic Italian preparation of butterflied chicken marinated in chilli, garlic and lemon and roasted or grilled until the skin is crisp and well-coloured. The name refers to the fiery heat of the chilli.
To butterfly (spatchcock) a chicken, place it breast-side down on a chopping board. Using poultry shears, cut along either side of the backbone and remove it. Turn the chicken over and press firmly along the breastbone with the heel of your hand to flatten it out. The bird is now butterflied and ready to marinate and cook.
Yes – you can make pollo alla diavola with either poussin (spatchcock) or a full-sized chicken. The marinade and technique work beautifully with any chicken. For a full-sized chicken, simply increase the cooking time: allow about 45 minutes, turning halfway, then check the juices in the thickest part of the thigh run clear when it’s pierced with a skewer.