The chicken parts cook more evenly that way and the presentation is beautiful. Richard Olney wrote about this method for making ricotta stuffed chicken decades ago in his wonderful book Simple French Food (high recommend). We also found a similar recipe in a Weber grilling cookbook, which makes sense as the method of butterflying chicken makes it easy to grill a whole chicken. Butterflying a chicken is easier than you think! It does help to have a strong pair of poultry shears. To butterfly a chicken, you cut it open on one side, spread open the chicken and press it down flat. (See our guide—with video—on How to Spatchcock or Butterfly a Chicken.) To stuff the chicken, you’ll need a firm and gentle hand to separate the skin from the meat beneath. Use your fingers to work your way under the skin to open up enough room for the stuffing.
12 ounces ricotta cheese 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1 egg 2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried) 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried) 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1 large clove garlic, minced
Rub:
Salt Extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried) 1/2 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped (or 1/4 teaspoon dried) 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Spread the chicken open, skin side up. Press down on the chicken with the palms of your hands (or pound with your fists) to flatten the chicken. Fold the wings under the chicken. Carefully spoon cheese mixture under skin of chicken, pressing with your fingers to distribute evenly over the chicken and drumsticks. Preheat oven to 500°F. Place chicken, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Place in oven and immediately turn the heat down to 350°F. Prepare grill for medium indirect heat. If using a gas grill, heat all burners on high until the grill is hot, then turn off the middle burner. If using a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side of the grill and place a large aluminum drip pan underneath the grate on the side without coals, adding a couple cups of water to the drip pan so that the drippings don’t burn. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the cooking grate, away from the side with coals if you are using a charcoal grill, or above the middle burner if you are using gas. Alternatively, you can lay the chicken out on a rack in a disposable aluminum roasting pan and place the roasting pan on the cooking grate (this tip works well with gas grills, I haven’t tried it with the charcoal one yet). Cover the grill. Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken with Orange and Ginger here on Simply Recipes Richard Olney’s ricotta stuffed chicken
