Herbed Baby Chicken (Poussin) with Lemon-Thyme Butter

This recipe came about backwards. I had a wonderful, crisp, buttery potato galette and wanted a tender and flavorful chicken dish to complement it. A poussin (a six-week-old chicken) has the tender texture that I want for this dish, but it isn’t all that full-flavored, so a quick splash of lemon thyme butter is tossed on to add an intense accent. To butterfly the chickens, the backbone must removed, but with a little practice, it isn’t a difficult procedure.