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–+ servings
an entire whole roasted chicken with potatoes on a platter

Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

Morgan Peaceman
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.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

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.
Keyword chicken dinner, chicken recipe, holiday meal, spatchcock chicken
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