Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
It's juicy, flavorful and has a crispy chicken skin! This roasted spatchcock chicken is such a great family meal for a Sunday, or any day of the week!
Our family is primarily a red meat family. Growing up in the Midwest, it was just kind of bread into us. There are a lot of cattle farmers here and it is so easy (and cheap) to get a 1/4 cow to stock up your freezer. BUT, I love chicken! Chicken is light and takes on whatever flavor you add to it. It feels like a blank canvas and it is so versatile in so many recipes.
A few years ago, my sister and her family decided to raise meat chickens and they are so good! Each year, we buy ten or so whole chickens from her and utilize them in all sorts of ways! This Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is by far one of my favorite ways to make chicken. Keeping it whole keeps the meat so juicy but taking the spine out helps in bake so much quicker and more evenly!
What is spatchcock chicken?
Spatchcock chicken is simply a whole chicken that has had the spine cut out of it. I would show you a picture but to be honest, it is a little icky to look at! So, I will explain it. Get yourself a sharp kitchen sheers. Starting on the bottom where the legs are, cut along the side of the spine, going all the way to the top of the chicken. Do the same thing on the other side of the spine and then pull it out.
Once you have the spine removed, flip the chicken over. Press firmly in between the breasts to break the breast bone, just to flatten the chicken a little. And now you have a spatchcock chicken!
You could certainly skip this step and cook the chicken whole. I just love this method as it cuts down on your cooking time. It also helps the chicken cook a little more evenly.
Don't throw that backbone away though! Throw it in the oven to roast for an hour and then add it to some water and veggies for chicken bone broth! There are a lot of nutrients in the backbone so make sure you get every use out of it!
Details and Tips!
When roasting a chicken, I cannot recommend a dry brine enough. It is going to give you the best opportunity for some crispy chicken skin. It also helps the meat stay moist. It is so simple to do as well. You simply over your raw chicken with salt and let it sit, uncovered, in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You could even do this for a couple hours, and it will help so much.
Let your chicken sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour just to take the chill off. This will help the chicken cook evenly and quickly. When I make the dry rub for the chicken, I rub it on and then let the chicken sit out. This will give the rub some time to soak into the chicken and also let the chicken come up to room temperature.
When it is time to bake the chicken, you will want to tuck in the legs and wings just so they don't burn. They don't need to be completely under, but they just need to be ticked in slightly so they cook at the same rate as the rest of the chicken.
Once everyone has eaten, keep the joints and bones for bone broth! This is our favorite way to get all of the use out of our whole chickens. It is so easy to make. Simply roast the backbone for 1 hour at 375 degrees. Then add that, along with all of the other bones from the spatchcock chicken, to a slow cooker or instant pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Let it cook and there you have bone broth!
What you need!
- whole chicken - look for organic if you can
- salt - for the dry brine
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- paprika
- basil
- oregano
- pepper
- baked potato - for serving - optional
- carrots - for serving - optional
Customize!
For this recipe, you could certainly change up the seasoning mixture. This recipe is going to be smokey kind of flavor. It is so good for any time of year!
You could also add in some veggies if you like to cook those along with the chicken. I personally do not do that because my family does not like the veggies cooked with the chicken so I cook additional veggies on the side! I typically will do carrots and mashed potatoes or baked potatoes! You can truly do whatever your family likes!
Explore more!
I hope you try this chicken out! Let us know what you think in the comments!
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Smokey, flavorful, and full of crispy chicken skin bites! This roasted chicken recipe is perfect for any time of year!
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1//4 teaspoon pepper
Prepping the chicken
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Prepping the chicken should begin the morning or night before you plan to cook it.
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Using a sharp chicken sheers, carefully cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove the backbone and flip the chicken over. Firmly press down on the breast bone until you hear it break. Then, spread out the chicken as much as you can onto a baking sheet.
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Cover the entire chicken with a generous 2 teaspoons of salt. Rub the salt into the skin well. Put in the fridge, uncovered, until you are ready to cook it!
Cooking the chicken
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take the chicken out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
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While the chicken is coming up to room temperature, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, and pepper in a small bowl or measuring cup. Pour the mixture all over the chicken, rubbing it into the skin with your hands.
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Tuck the wings and legs under, slightly. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a thermometer stuck into the middle of the breast reads 165 degrees.
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Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before carving.
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Serve with baked potatoes and roasted carrots!
Don't throw out the bones! Save all of the joints and bones for homemade bone broth!