The Rolling Pin Tip That Keeps Chicken From Drying Out

There are countless ways to cook a perfect chicken, from frying to poaching to baking and beyond. When it comes to cooking the bird, everyone seems to have their preferred method for getting the skin nice and crispy while maintaining juicy and succulent meat. One popular method for cooking an entire chicken is to spatchcock the bird, which includes removing the backbone so the bird can lay flat. A rolling pin isn't typically required for this tactic, but thanks to social media, there's a method of preparation that involves spreading butter under the skin using a rolling pin.

Instagram user @appetizing.tv shared a video that showed them stuffing butter under the skin of a flattened, whole chicken. Instead of just using a spoon or their hands, they used a rolling pin to spread the butter out evenly. Once this step was complete, they cooked the entire chicken skin side up before flipping it to continue the process. The rolling pin not only helps evenly distribute the butter, but it also prevents your hands from becoming a buttery mess. Everyone knows that butter is delicious, and when it's slathered on chicken, it not only imparts flavor but keeps the chicken nice and moist.

Butter has a lower smoke point than oil, meaning that chicken prepared with butter should cook at a lower temperature than one with oil. While it's true that vegetable oil ensures the crispiest chicken skin, butter distributed underneath the skin helps with browning, which imparts more flavor. Butter also adds moisture, which is important, especially if you accidentally overcook the bird.

While some people like to baste the chicken with butter as it cooks, this method doesn't require constant supervision, as the butter is already inside the chicken. Along with butter, using the rolling pin to help flatten the bird also acts as a tenderizer. Especially if you don't have a meat mallet, using a rolling pin will help to even out the chicken breasts to ensure they cook evenly and remain tender and juicy. If you don't want to spatchcock the chicken before rolling it out and cooking it, you can splay it instead. Whether you spatchcock or splay your bird is a matter of personal preference, though the splaying method is slightly easier since you don't have to remove the backbone.