I Tested a “Perfect Chicken” Hack

For optimum deliciousness, you have to cook this single bird-shaped bundle to two very different temperatures. What’s more, because of how the bundle is built, the white meat – the part you want to cook the least – is way up here, exposed to all the oven’s heat, while the legs – which you want to cook to a higher temperature – are way down here, shielded from a lot of that heat. So (at least theoretically) the breasts will cook faster than the legs – which is the exact opposite of what you want. Dark meat contains tons of connective tissue that requires tons of heat to break down properly, so it’s most delicious when it’s cooked to 175F, or even higher; America’s Test Kitchen recommends 195F. White meat, though, is lean muscle fibers, which are prone to drying out, so it’s best when cooked to a much lower temperature. The USDA-recommended temp is 165F, but – and you can watch our previous video for more on this– it’s perfectly safe to cook chicken to an even lower temperature, as long as you hold it at that temperature for longer. And white meat is way more juicy and delicious when it’s closer to 150F. According to spatchcockers– is that a word? It is now… – anyway, the idea is that by flattening the whole bird-bundle out, you can even out the rates at which different parts cook. In fact, since the legs are now on the outside and the breast is more protected, the dark meat will receive more heat than the white meat, helping it reach a nice high temperature before the breast overcooks. At least that’s the idea, anyway; I’ve combed through all the nerdy kitchen science resources I know of, and I can’t find one single empirical test that actually shows this is the case. So I can’t help but wonder whether spatchcocking is worth it; like, how effective it actually is in helping you get the dark meat cooked before the white meat overcooks. So I rounded up some test subjects, then I sat back and watched what happened. In every single chicken I roasted, the dark meat cooked through before the white meat did – exactly what you want; the difference was actually largest in the whole birds. So if you like spatchcocking- if your birds seem to come out better that way, or if you’re a fan of the quicker cook time, or the fact that all the skin comes out *really* crispy – keep on with your spatchcocking self. But I’m just not convinced there’s actually a problem with roasting a bird whole.