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Five-Spice Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken

4.9

(24)

A whole grilled chicken cut into parts and topped with a scallionchile relish on a platter.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk

For grilling the whole bird, we stand by the tried-and-true methods of spatchcocking the chicken and giving it a dry rub. The spatchcock does a few things: It flattens the bird so the breasts and legs cook evenly and cuts down on cooking time. And unlike a wet brine, a dry rub—this one’s got five-spice, MSG, and light brown sugar—gets into every nook and cranny of the whole bird without making a big mess. (You can skip the MSG if you prefer, but it will add just the right amount of umami backbone to the rub, so we recommend it.) —Jessie YuChen

What you’ll need