GrillinFools
First we show exactly how to spatchcock or butterfly a whole chicken and then we slather it with a peruvian style paste. The chicken is quick seared to caramelize that paste and then smoked before finishing up over high heat again. Finally, the spatchcock chicken Peruvian style is finished with a spicy verde sauce.
Other Chicken Recipes
We love both spatchcock chicken and exotic seasonings and spices. Check out our Spatchcock Chicken with an Asian Glaze. Not spatchcocked, but chicken wings with an orange soda hot sauce. Or bacon wrapped chicken lollies. And finally, how about wine can chicken. You read that right.
Spatchcock Chicken Peruvian Style Ingredients:
Spatchcock Chicken:
- 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of 1 small lime
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Peruvian Verde Sauce:
- 2 jalapeńos
- 2 scallions, rough chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 small lime
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1-2 tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Spatchcock Your Chicken
Truth be told, the first time someone asked me if I spatchcocked my chicken, I’d never heard the term. I replied, “Hey, what I do in the privacy of my own home is my business.” And then I Googled it.
That was embarrassing.
What is Spatchcocking?
It simply means to butterfly the bird. This can be done on Turkey (and I do so every Thanksgiving) and even game hens. To spatchcock means to cut the backbone out of the bird. Technically, that’s all you need to do. I also flatten the breasts by pushing down near where the collar bone would be on a human to crack those bones there. Some remove the breastbone too, but it is not mandatory.
First, take kitchen shears down each side of the backbone where my two fingers are pointing in the pic below:
Also, see that tail there?
That’s your friend.
Grab it while you make the first cut:
Then cut down the other side of the backbone:
Pull the backbone free:
Flip the bird over and smash down where the collar bone would be on a human.
Do this on both sides with the palm, snapping those bones:
The bird should lay flat:
Then make up the flavor paste.
Flavor Paste
Combine the rest of the ingredients under the chicken (in the ingredients list) but above the verde sauce ingredients and blend together.
The result should indeed be very red and very thick:
Spread that paste all over the chicken:
You can place the slathered chicken in the fridge for 4-12 hours or cook it right away.
The decision is yours.
Prepare the grills for the Spatchcock Chicken
That’s right.
Prepare the grills.
I used a super hot fire and a slow smoke session to finish this Peruvian style chicken.
One has a target temp at the grill grates at 400F (+/- 25F) and the other I set at 250F (+/- 25F).
Onto the hot grill first which happens to be my Everdure Hub II which is an awesome charcoal grill with a built-in rotisserie:
The goal here is to caramelize that paste.
So just a quick sear on each side:
After a little charring and caramelization on both sides, slide the spatchcock chicken over to the smoker which is my kamado style Everdure 4K:
Close the lid and let the smoke and heat work their magic.
We used a chunk of pear for this cook which pairs well with chicken.
If you don’t have pear this list of smoke woods has to have something you have access to that pairs with chicken.
Make the Verde Sauce:
While the chicken is smoking, grill the outside of the jalapeńos on the hot grill to get some char on the outside. Cut the peppers in half, discarding the stems, and remove the white flesh and seeds to reduce the spiciness of the sauce. Leave them in if you want a wicked hot green sauce. Add the peppers and the rest of the verde sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse till smooth.
Set the verde sauce aside.
Take the yardbird up to about 150F which took about 40 minutes for this yardbird:
Then, transfer the spatchcock chicken back to the hot grill:
Flip the chicken over a couple times, to get a nice char and then remove it from the grill and platter.
Be careful when flipping and plattering.
The chicken was coming apart, making it very hard to move this without one of the limbs popping off in my hand
Serve with the verde sauce on the side or drizzle over the top:
Spatchcock Chicken Peruvian Style Summary
THIS is how I like my chicken. With the skin intact like this, it stays really juicy and with that flavor paste and that verde sauce, it is just loaded with flavor. Let’s face it, chicken is bland. Not THIS chicken, but chicken in general. This chicken is a flavor explosion.
Remember me saying how the limbs almost fell off, well these two came free without using a knife:
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Spatchcock Chicken Recipe Card:
Spatchcock Chicken Peruvian Style
Ingredients
Spatchcock Chicken
- 1 Whole chicken About 4 pounds
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 2 tablespoons Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of one small lime
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
Peruvian Verde Sauce
- 2 Jalapeńos
- 2 Scallions, rough chopped
- 1 bunch Cilantro Substitute flat leaf parsley
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- Juice of one small lime
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1-2 tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
Peruvian Verde Sauce
- Roast the jalapeńos on the grill to get some char on the outside. Remove from the heat and slice in half lengthwise, discarding the stems. Remove the white flesh and seeds to reduce the heat, or leave them in for an extra spicy verde sauce. Add the jalapeńos and the rest of the verde sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until blended smooth. Set sauce aside until the spatchcock chicken is grilled
- Add the jalapeńos and the rest of the verde sauce ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until blended smooth. Set sauce aside until the spatchcock chicken is grilled
Spatchcock Chicken
- With kitchen shears, cut down each side of the backbone and discard the spine of the chicken. Flip the bird over and press your palm down where the collar bone would be on a human and push until the bones break. Repeat on the other side.
- Combine the rest of the spatchcock chicken ingredients to make the flavor paste. Spread the paste over the entirety of the outside of the chicken, making sure to get into every crevice. This can be done 12 hours in advance and left in the fridge overnight
- Prepare one grill for medium high heat grilling with the temp at the grill grate at 400F (+/- 25F) and a smoker at 250F (+/- 25F). Sear the chicken quickly on each side to caramelize the paste. Move the Peruvian chicken to the smoker and close the lid.
- When the chicken reaches 150F remove the yardbird from the smoker and sear again on each side to take it to 165F
- Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes and serve either with the sauce on the side or drizzled over the top.
Video
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