Hosting a holiday? This herb roasted spatchcock chicken will cause everyone at the dinner table to stand for an ovation. Juicy, tender chicken roasted to perfection. Plus, you'll become savvy with the spatchcock method of roasting a chicken. FUN!
This spatchcock chicken is an excellent focal point of a holiday dinner such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Passover seder, or any holiday that gathers your favorite people around. It's perfect for bringing everyone to the table.
There's something about making a whole roasted chicken that makes cooking in the kitchen a little more magical. Other recipes like my chicken francese or my creamy tuscan chicken recipe are excellent for holidays too, but this particular recipe reigns supreme.
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What ingredients do I need for this roasted spatchcock chicken?
This recipe calls for very minimal ingredients, because you don't need much to make this chicken dinner delicious! You'll need:
- Young Whole Chicken: I prefer to buy kosher whole chickens for a variety of reasons, including the meat being soaked, salted, and ultra tender and juicy. No worries if you can't get a kosher whole chicken, any kind will work!
- Butter
- Seasoning: I chose to use the Garlic Herb blend from my friends over at Primal Palate, but you can
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Thyme: Fresh thyme is unmatched for the dried version.
See the recipe card below for more information about quantities.
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
This recipe calls for two separate sets of directions, and while the pictures below do not represent all of the stages, those pictures are coming soon! We will start with the directions to spatchcocking a chicken.
To Spatchcock a Chicken:
Pat dry the whole chicken and place on a cutting board with the spine facing upwards, breast-side down. Find the spine along the middle of the back. Using kitchen shears, cut on each side of the spine and remove the spine. Save for stock!
Turn the bird over and locate the breast bone (toward the middle of the chest cavity. Turn the bird over again, this side breast side up. Place the palms of your hands into the center of both breasts and press down firmly. You will hear a crack, which means the breastbone is released and the chicken will lay flat. Season and dress chicken as you'd like and prepare for baking according to directions for recipe.
To Roast the Chicken:
Preheat the oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Once the bird is properly butterflied (or spatchcocked), place the bird in the center of the aluminum-lined pan, breast-side up,In a small mixing bowl, mix together but room temperature butter and seasoning. Mix together until it forms a paste-like consistency.
Taking your middle three fingers, scrape some of the butter from the bowl and spread around the entire chicken, including placing some of the butter in between crevices and under the skin. Continue to season until all of the herb butter is used. Drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the chicken and place a fresh thyme bundle in the center of the chicken.
Bake the chicken at 375º for 50 minutes. Once the bird hits an internal temperature of 165º, take the bird out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes prior to serving and slicing.
HINT: If you want to make a full meal at one time, add potatoes or vegetables to the pan to roast as well.
Swaps and Substitutions
Making a spatchcock chicken can be a little intimidating, it was for me when I was recipe testing this. Here are a few swaps and substitutions you can do if you're not quite ready for the spatchcock steps:
- Buy it Pre-Spatchcocked - there are brands of chicken out there that sell this already done for you.
- Use Chicken Parts - you can also buy legs and thighs and throw them on a baking sheet instead if you're not ready for the entire bird
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Serving Suggestions
Roasting an entire whole chicken really lends itself to a variety of meals, which is why I like doing this on a sunday and meal planning around this for a few days of the week ahead. Here's some suggestions for serving:
- Paleo-Style - add a bunch of sautéed or roasted vegetables to this dish and keep it low carb and healthy.
- Deluxe - make mashed potatoes, a side of easy baked MAC (LINK RECIPE), and a fun cocktail like my citrus spritz (LINK RECIPE) for an elaborate dinner
- Leftovers - shred the remaining chicken from whichever parts are leftover and divvy up for lunch (in quesadillas, salads, or sandwiches) or for another dinner with rice and a vegetable.
Kitchen Equipment and Tools
You won't need many tools for this recipe, but the two pieces of kitchen equipment and tools I recommend having are:
- A trusty thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken
- A pair of kitchen shears to cut the spine out of the chicken.
Other tools include:
- Mixing bowls (for the herbed butter)
- Cutting board
- A large, full-size sheet pan, This allows for the bird to cook well and get crisp.
How do I store this chicken?
Store the remainder of the chicken in tupperware and consume within 3-4 days of cooking. I would not suggest freezing the leftovers.
PRO TIP:
Use a thermometer for measuring the internal temperature of the chicken as it roasts. I highly recommend this so that you can ensure you do not overcook the chicken (or undercook for that matter).
Hungry for More?
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 cutting board
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowls
- 1 thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken
- 1 kitchen shears for spatchcocking the chicken
Ingredients
- 1 4-5lb Young Whole Chicken
- 3 tablespoon Butter softened
- 2 tablespoon Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- Fresh Thyme
Instructions
To Spatchcock the Chicken
- Pat dry the whole chicken and place on a cutting board with the spine facing upwards, breast-side down.
- Find the spine along the middle of the back. Using kitchen shears, cut on each side of the spine and remove the spine. Save for stock!
- Turn the bird over so that the bird is breast side up, and locate the breast bone (toward the middle of the chest cavity. Place the palms of your hands into the center of both breasts and press down firmly. You will hear a crack, which means the breastbone is released and the chicken will lay flat.
- Season and dress chicken as you'd like and prepare for baking according to directions for recipe.
To Season and Cook the Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 375º and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Once the bird has been properly butterflied (or spatchcocked), place the bird in the center of the aluminum-lined pan, breast-side up.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together but room temperature butter and seasoning. Mix together until it forms a paste-like consistency. Taking your middle three fingers, scrape some of the butter from the bowl and spread around the entire chicken, including placing some of the butter in between crevices and under the skin. Continue to season until all of the herb butter is used.
- Drizzle the tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the chicken and place a fresh thyme bundle in the center of the chicken.
- Bake the chicken at 375º for 45-50 minutes. Once the bird hits an internal temperature of 165º, take the bird out of the oven, then let rest for 10 minutes prior to serving and slicing.
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