Check the temperature with a digital thermometer at the 30 minute mark, removing and keeping warm any pieces that cook through early. You can roast 8 to 10 chicken parts (mix of bone-in breasts, thighs and drumsticks) instead of one spatchcocked chicken.Then I cut along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely and then I flatten the whole bird evenly with the palm of my hands. I use my sharp kitchen shears and I cut alongside the backbone, from one end of the bird to the other. You can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you, but it’s not a hard thing to do yourself. Spatchcocked chickens cook quickly and evenly, turning uniformly brown and with a perfect crispy skin. Spatchcocking chicken, or butterflying, means cutting the chicken along its backbone, then opening it up so that it can lie flat in a pan or on a grill.Though menus there are more concrete, elementary schools aren’t left out in terms of choice: all of them have fruit bars. The middle and high schools have their own salad bars, which have proven popular among students.

Mini pancakes, mini French toast or mini waffles may be served for breakfast with turkey sausage links and hash brown sticks.Īmong the priorities of the food service department are fresh ingredients – nothing is canned, Dennis says – and color variety, a concept that calls for a more balanced diet through a balance of colors in fruit and vegetables. For the Asian bar, brown rice, stir-fried vegetables and a vegetable egg roll accompany a choice of tangerine, New Orleans Mandarin, sweet chili Thai or sweet and sour cherry blossom chicken. The burrito bar – and the associated walking taco bar, for those students who prefer their lunch unwrapped – offers brown rice and choice of toppings, which include shredded cheddar cheese, queso blanco cheese sauce, shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onions and taco sauce. Each student starts with a whole-grain bun and a choice of standard beef burger or mushroom burger, then has the option to add American cheese, white American cheese, shredded romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, turkey bacon and even onion rings. Students’ favorite? Per Dennis, it’s the hamburger bar. We also make sure to adjust to our students’ preferences.” “The menu is a whole departmental concept, and features input from the entire food services department. “The choices we make, in terms of the food we choose to serve, are a collaborative effort,” Dennis says. With the ability to customize your own meal, the possibilities for combinations are multifarious, and students value this kind of variety, says Karisa Dennis, food services director for the district. The cafeterias feature a variety of different specialty bars – barbecue, Italian, Asian, hamburger, burrito, mashed potatoes, pasta, chicken tenders and breakfast – operating on a two-week rotation.

The district’s middle and high schools have adopted a “create your own” style of service, akin to the type seen in fast-casual restaurants such as Chipotle and Piada. Westerville City Schools is no exception. But these days, through a combination of more selection and better nutrition, many school districts have found ways to make lunch decidedly more palatable. Yes, they got their start for good reason. Enough with the jokes about school cafeteria food.

Tangerine chicken on a school tray