These are the tools you'll need. Have everything ready on the cutting board before you start handling the raw chicken.

Rinse the bird well and lay it breast side down on the cutting board. You'll be cutting off its spine in the next step so now is a good time to familiarize yourself with it.

Starting on one side of the tail, use your shears to cut along the spine up to the neck. Repeat for the other side of the spine. You can save the spine and use it to make chicken stock later.

Clean up the chicken and clean out the insides. Look for kidneys and other internal organs that may have been left inside. Also trim excess fat. The left side above has been cleaned up.

Use your knife to cut the sternum along the middle. Don't cut all the way through. This will help the bird flatten out.

Flip the chicken over. Tuck each wing tip behind the breasts. Now the bird is ready to be seasoned or marinated. Cook for 45 minutes at 350 F in a roasting pan.

How to spatchcock a chicken

You can reduce the amount of time to cook a chicken by opening it up and flattening it out. Spatchcocking a chicken also helps the different parts cook more evenly.