Spatchcocking is a great technique, Mrrzy. With a non-trivial investment of skill and effort in the kitchen before the company comes, you get a faster-cooking, moister bird that you can quarter quickly and efficiently when it's time to get dinner on the table.

I use a Cutco knife with a sturdy, seven-inch serrated blade for the initial prep, and a pair of poultry shears to quarter the bird when it comes out of the oven.

Cookbooks focussed on barbecuing are the best source of recipes for spatchcocked chicken. I like Steven Raichlen's "The Barbecue Bible", which introduced me to the whole world of spice rubs and smoke cooking.

Yeah. You need a barbecue. If you live in quarters where you can use one without risk of burning down the building, what are you waiting for?

By the way, Raichlen actually favours charcoal as a barbecue fuel; he thinks gas is for wussies. Gas is efficient, however, and I recommend it if cooking is a thing you do primarily to feed yourself and family and not as a hobby activity.