This delicious spatchcock chicken recipe is perfect for a family feast. Made with a lemon, garlic and herb butter rub, this method of cooking a whole chicken is simple and easy and guarantees the most tender, flavorful and juicy results.
If you are going to use a chicken brine, prepare the chicken brine according to recipe directions and brine for 8 hours in the refrigerator. The brine is optional but highly recommended.
Remove the chicken from the brine. Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat it dry very well with paper towels.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.
Using poultry shears or kitchen shears, remove the backbone of the chicken and cut the cartilage over the breastbone on the inside of the bird where the two breasts join together near the neck.This will allow the chicken to lay flat when you turn it over. Finally, tuck the wings under the rib cage to protect them as they cook.
Make the butter rub by mixing softened butter with salt, pepper, parsley, garlic, thyme, and rosemary.
Using the back of a spoon, slide it under the skin and gently loosen it and rub some of the butter mixture under the skin. Generously coat the outside of the chicken with the butter mixture.
Place the spatchcocked chicken on the baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees F in both the thigh and the breast. (You can also insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken (breast or thigh).)
Remove the chicken from the oven. Loosely cover with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.
NOTES
If you don't brine the chicken, when you pat it dry, season the skin with a little salt as this will help to draw the moisture out.
If the chicken starts to brown too quickly on the top before it is cooked through, loosely cover it with a sheet of foil.
Depending on your oven, you may want to rotate the chicken half way through cooking if it is browning more at the back than the front.
Use an instant read thermometer to check that you chicken is fully cooked through (and not over cooked). It should register at 165F.
NUTRITION
Nutrition Facts
Spatchcock Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 494Calories from Fat 351
% Daily Value*
Fat 39g60%
Saturated Fat 15g75%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 6g
Monounsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 166mg55%
Sodium 639mg27%
Potassium 359mg10%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 625IU13%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 28mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic herb roasted chicken, how to spatchcock a chicken, spatchcock roasted chicken