An Easy Way to Deal With (Cook) Whole Chickens

Ever since I began buying those bargain whole chickens from Rami Levi, I found that my preparation time had increased much too much. At Rami Levi, cutting those bargain chickens into serving pieces cost a lot of money, making the chickens too expensive to be considered a real bargain.  I have some sharp knives inherited from my mother-in-law's kitchen, so that part of cutting wasn't the problem.  It still takes a long time and makes a big mess.

A few weeks ago, I tried a new technique.

As you can see, I just opened them up from one side,  aka butterfly, which is actually the way they come because of pre-sale cleaning and kashering.  It's always easier to carve the chicken after cooking.  This picture was taken just before the chickens made it into the oven. 

You can also make a faux stuffed chicken by putting various vegetables and "stuffing" under the chickens inside the empty space.  It may not be as impressive, but it can taste great and is easy to prepare and serve.