Boiling a Chicken

[jonnno]

The post on spit roasting suggested spatchcocking / boiling the chicken as it was safer and easier. Seems like a plan but it has raised more questions than answers

Firstly, do I spatchcock first then boil or spatchcock after boiling

Most importantly, how do I know when it'd been fully cooked - there's a number of different answers on the internet - some say watch for a colour change, some test the temperature with a meat thermometer and some say wait until the meat falls off the bone (and some just call him The Stig )

Also, if the meat does fall off the bone does it matter, can I still spatchcock it?

Cheers guys

 

[Adze]

Boil/poach first - then roast/broil. If you go the other way around you'll lose a bundle of flavours into the boiling liquid and you can boil/poach, as the heat is lower (100 degrees instead of 200+), for a good while before finishing off over the fire ensuring the heat gets into the middle of what you're cooking.

EDIT:

Also, if the meat does fall off the bone does it matter, can I still spatchcock it?

The spatchcock bit is removing the spine from the bird and flattening the carcass for easy roasting - you'll want to do that before poaching, while the bird is raw. If you over boil/poach and the bird is a bit prone to falling apart you can still roast it or pull it to bits and skewer it on sticks to give it a final roast.

The only trouble I can see with boiling an entire spatchcocked bird is you're going to need a serious pan to fit it all in - hardly an easy carry in.

Cheers,

 

[DavidJT]

You don't need to do both, it's either or really. Spatchcocking will make the bird flatter and thinner so cooks through quicker. Boiling an undoctored bird will cook it through so you can brown / crisp it of on the fire.
Plenty of how-to spatchcock links on youtube.

 

[dave k]

A good way to see if a bird is cooked is to try and twist off the leg from the thigh. if it comes away clean and very easily, it's cooked.

Best way is throw it in a pot with a bottle of wine and leave it for 40 - 60 mins. It'll be ready when you get tired of wiping away the saliva from your mouth as it smells so good