Bird is the word: spatchcock

Repeat after me: Spatchcock!

Everyday Food tells me this is the proper term for chicken, etc, when you remove the backbone and flatten it for cooking. The technique offers quick roasting (~30 minutes) and thoroughly-crisped skin, plus an opportunity to shout "Spatchcock!!" at your guests or significant other all evening. Instructions here.

In truth, I didn't actually have a whole chicken available for spatchcocking. So I tested a recipe from the magazine with chicken thighs, and it was pretty fantastic, plus speedy and cheap. I'll try again with the real butterflied bird. In case you can't spare $3 for the magazine, here's a summary of the "recipes:"

• Spatchcock Chicken
• ... with Potatoes: Roast chicken with potatoes. Garnish with thyme.
• ... with Chickpeas: Roast chicken with chickpeas. Garnish with cilantro and lime.
• ... Chicken with Tomatoes: Roast chicken with smallish tomatoes and 1/2 C white wine. Garnish with basil.

Above is the chicken with chick peas (also known as garbanzo beans, a name I prefer because it reminds me of muppets). I'm sure you can dream up your own creative variations on flattened poultry, along with ways to use this word in everyday conversation.