How to Butterfly a Whole Chicken
Place chicken breast side down on a board.
Using a pair of sharp kitchen scissors, snip the ribs of the spine, from tail to neck.
Trim and discard or save* any excess neck bones that aren’t ideal for a pretty roasted bird.
Turn the bird back over so the open side is now falling down.
Press down on the breast plate to crack the wishbone and flatten the bird.
The bird is now butterflied.
As an extra step you can also snip along the other side of the spine to remove the back bone altogether for symmetry, but it is purely aesthetic.
*or roast along with the chook and use with the bones after eating for stock.