Learn how to butterfly chicken drumsticks for all your grilling, smoking or baking needs. Using this method means your chicken legs or drumsticks can cook faster and evenly.
Chicken drumsticks are a popular choice of meat loved by all, it is easy to cook and you can hardly go wrong with it. As the darker part of a chicken, it delivers on taste and flavor, and you can cook it in various ways while still keeping it juicy and tender.
What is butterfly Chicken
Are you using a recipe that calls for butterflied chicken and you are unsure of what it means. Butterfly (chicken) is a technique or the process of flattening a piece of meat by removing the meat from the bones and cartilage so that it can be flat like a butterfly.
Most cuts of chicken can be butterflied. The process of butterflying a whole chicken is known as spatchcock. This is where the backbone of the chicken is removed so it can be flattened.
For chicken legs, the meat is separated from the bone and cartilage without cutting the meat all the way through. The bone is still attached to the meat but it can be flattened to form a butterfly.
This cooking technique is mostly used for grilling, air frying or pan-frying a chicken drumstick, this way it cooks faster and evenly.
Butterflied chicken can be served the same way you would serve all types of chicken. It is great as an appetizer, a part of a meal or a cookout, bbq parties and many more.
Related posts: can you marinate chicken for 2 days and how to brine chicken wings.
Why you should butterfly chicken legs
As mentioned above, it makes whatever cooking method you choose faster than if you are cooking the whole leg. Also your meat cooks evenly this way too.
Personally, I love using this cooking technique when I am cooking for a group of people, say I am having a bbq party. I can get the job done in half the time, so my guest doesn't have to wait around endlessly for the meat to cook.
Finally, if you are short on time, you can marinade the chicken just before cooking it, and it will still have a lot of flavor, with the meat being tender, moist, and juicy.
Tools Needed
- Small Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Kitchen paper towel
- Meat thermometer
How to butterfly chicken legs
Step 1: Prep the chicken drumsticks: Remove any hanging skin off the chicken including the visible feathers. Wash the chicken if you prefer but make sure to do so safely and clean up after yourself. Pat the drumsticks dry with a kitchen paper towel. This is important so that the meat doesn't become slippery when you want to cut it.
Step 2: Working on a piece at a time, place it on a chopping board, have a feel of where the bone is located. Make an incision down the center lengthwise with your knife to loosen the meat.
Put your knife very close to the bone to loosen the flesh from the meat without cutting it through. Cut along either side of the bone to flatten it. Ensure you do not cut all the way through.
Alternatively, cut either side of the bone all the way down and open it with your fingers to flatten it. Make a parallel cut from the chunky meaty side to the joint on either side of the bone before you flatten it with your fingers.
Step 3. Repeat the process with the remaining drumsticks then pat it dry with a kitchen towel before seasoning. This way, the seasoning will infuse properly into the meat.
Tips
- Avoid using a dull knife as this can be dangerous and may even result in an uneven cut.
- Depending on the size of the drumsticks, it will take you about 10 -15 seconds to butterfly it correctly especially if using a sharp knife. In other words, be patient and do not try to forcefully separate the meat from the bone. This can cause the meat to tear which may not be great for presentation especially if serving it to guests.
- Be careful not to cut the meat all the way through. Keep the knife close to the bone or cartilage, imagine you are only trying to scrape the meat off the side of the bone or cartilage.
How to cook butterfly chicken drumsticks
You can cook butterflied chicken legs in a variety of ways to suit your taste and preferences, making them a delicious and versatile cut of meat
You can grill, roast, deep fry, smoke, air fry or cook it on the stovetop.
Also, your possibilities are endless when you are thinking of how to season your opened chicken legs. You can use any seasoning of choice. I love using simple herbs and spices such as onion granules, garlic granules, paprika, hot sauce, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Why not try my chicken Taco seasoning on your chicken legs.
You can also coat or glaze butterflied chicken drumsticks with any sauce of choice. Popular sauces you can use are BBQ, buffalo sauce, honey sriracha, hot honey, Honey mustard, and many more.
Just as with any other chicken piece you would cook, make sure to cook the butterflied chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165F / 74C for a safe and enjoyable dish.
How To Butterfly Chicken Drumsticks (Chicken Legs)
Equipment
- sharp knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks
Instructions
- Step 1: Prep the chicken drumsticks: Remove any hanging skin off the chicken including the visible feathers. Wash the chicken if you prefer but make sure to do so safely and clean up after yourself. Pat the drumsticks dry with a kitchen paper towel. This is important so that the meat doesn't become slippery when you want to cut it.
- Step 2: Working on a piece at a time, place it on a chopping board, have a feel of where the bone is located. Make an incision down the center lengthwise with your knife to loosen the meat.
- Put your knife very close to the bone to loosen the flesh from the meat and cartilage without cutting it through. Cut along either side of the bone to flatten it. Ensure you do not cut all the way through.
- Alternatively, cut either side of the bone all the way down and open it with your fingers to flatten it. Make a parallel cut from the chunky meaty side to the joint on either side of the bone before you flatten it with your fingers.
- Step 3: Repeat the process with the remaining drumsticks then pat it dry with a kitchen towel. This way, the seasoning will infuse properly into the meat.
Notes
- Avoid using a dull knife as this can be dangerous and may even result in an uneven cut.
- Depending on the size of the drumsticks, it will take you about 10 -15 seconds to butterfly it correctly especially if using a sharp knife. In other words, be patient and do not try to forcefully separate the meat from the bone. This can cause the meat to tear which may not be great for presentation especially if serving it to guests.
- Be careful not to cut the meat all the way through. Keep the knife close to the bone or cartilage, imagine you are only trying to scrape the meat off the side of the bone or cartilage.
I hope you find this simple technique useful. As always, if you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Kindly rate the recipe 5 star and leave me feedback in the comment section below. Tag me @cheapchickenrecipes on Instagram and save it away to your Pinterest or make it on Tiktok. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox every week.
Leave a Reply