Spatchcock Chicken Recipe

Original Post: https://www.evolvingtable.com/spatchcock-chicken/

Spatchcock chicken is seasoned with butter, lemon, garlic, and herbs.

4.50 from 2 votes

If you have never cooked a Spatchcock Chicken, then you don't know what you're missing! It is surprisingly easy to remove the spin to flatten the bird, season with lemon, garlic, and herbs, and roast for a perfectly delicious dinner.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: London Brazil

Equipment

Kitchen shears

Ingredients

3 ½ lbs. whole chicken whole
1 ½ tsp. salt divided
½ tsp. black pepper

Garlic Herb Butter:

5 Tbsp. butter softened
2 Tbsp. oil olive or avocado
1 Tbsp. lemon juice freshly squeezed
1 tsp. lemon zest
¼ tsp. paprika
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tsp. thyme and rosemary fresh, finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place the chicken on a cutting board with the breasts facing downwards and the spine upwards.
Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the spine across the length of the bird. Try to stay as close as possible to the spine to avoid cutting too much into the ribs and meat.
Score the breast bone with a knife and then flip the chicken over. Press down with the heels of your hands to crack the ribs and flatten the bird. Place the chicken on a wire rack that is on top of an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the butter, oil, lemon juice and zest, paprika, garlic, herbs, and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Place half of it under the skin next to the breasts. Melt the remaining half and use a pastry brush to spread it over the skin.
Sprinkle the remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper over the entire chicken.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, depending on size.

Video

Notes

Meal Prep and Storage

To Prep-Ahead: You can prepare the chicken up to one day early. Keep it wrapped in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
To Freeze: Only freeze cooked chicken if it didn't sit at room temperature long. Remove the meat from the bones before placing it in a freezer-safe bag. It should keep for up to 4 months.
To Reheat: You can warm the chicken back up in the microwave.

Nutrition