Spatchcock

Ingredients

• a chicken
• pepper
• salt
• finely chopped shallots
• a bouquet garni
• oiled butter
• four tablespoonfuls of French vinegar
• three-quarters of a pint of brown sauce
• a teaspoonful of Liebig's extract of meat
• a couple of large gherkins
• a dessertspoonful of capers
• half a teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley

Method

1. 1

   Cut the chicken in half, season, and brush with oiled butter.

2. 2

   Grill for 15 minutes, basting continuously.

3. 3

   Sprinkle with browned crumbs and cook for another 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Prepare sauce by boiling shallots, bay leaves, thyme, pepper, and vinegar until reduced, then mix with brown sauce and extract.

5. 5

   Add gherkins, capers, and parsley, heat, and serve.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The housewife's referee (1898) by Harriet Anne de Salis, University of Leeds Library, page 104. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Spatchcock. — Cut a chicken in half and season the inside of the bird with pepper and salt, finely chopped shallots, a bouquet garni, then brush the bird over with oiled butter, then grill it in front of a fire for a quarter of an hour, basting it well the whole time. When it is taken from the fire it should be well sprinkled with browned crumbs ; return it to cook before the fire for ten minutes more, and serve the following sauce with it : — Chop up finely a shallot and put it into a stewpan with two bay leaves, a sprig of thyme, a little pepper, and four tablespoonfuls of French vinegar ; boil all together till the vinegar is reduced to half the quantity, then mix with it three-quarters of a pint of brown sauce and a teaspoonful of Liebig's extract of meat and boil together for ten minutes, pass through a tammy and add a couple of large gherkins, a dessertspoonful of capers, and half a teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.