This beautiful Spatchcock Chicken is crispy, juicy, and bursting with flavor! Super easy to prepare and done in less time than roasting it whole!
Did you know that if you spatchcock a chicken you’re cutting down the cooking time by half? Yes, half! To me that’s a big plus, especially in the summer because the last thing I want is to have the oven on all day, but I still want my home cooked meals, which is why this spatchcock chicken is perfect.
What Is Spatchcock Chicken
To spatchcock a chicken basically means to butterfly the chicken and remove the backbone. While this looks complicated, it’s super easy to do. Not only that, but in about an hour you’ll have a very impressive dinner, fool proof, insanely delicious for your entire family or friends.
You can use this method for Cornish hens as well or quails, and cook them in no time at all. While removing the backbone may look scary or hard, it’s really easy to do and all you need is a good pair of kitchen shears.
Because this spatchcock chicken requires less time in the oven, you end up with a super juicy bird. Even the breast won’t be dry, and nobody likes a dry breast.
Ingredients You’ll Need For Spatchcock Chicken
You’ll only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy one pot chicken dinner. Here they are:
- A Whole Chicken
- Butter – for the compound butter. Compound butter is a mixture of butter with spices and herbs.
- Poultry Herb Blend – You can find poultry herb blends in your local grocery store located with all the other herbs, or you can make your own using my recipe here.
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Smoked Paprika
- Salt & Pepper
I made a compound butter with poultry herbs, garlic and smoked paprika, which I spread half of it under the skin and the remaining over the skin for extra flavor and yumminess. Trust me, this butter is one of the secrets to this chicken being super juicy and succulent.
How To Spatchcock a Chicken:
- Make sure you first place the chicken breast-side down and the legs towards you.
- Use a good pair of kitchen shears to cut up along each side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go.
- Open the chicken out and turn it over then flatten the breastbone with the heel of your hand, by pressing down (see video) so that the meat is all one thickness.
- Season well on both sides with your favorite poultry seasoning and roast in the oven as stated in the recipe or barbecue on a grill for 15-20 minutes per side, depending on the size of the bird.
How To Serve
Here are some delicious side dishes I love serving my chicken with:
- Mashed potatoes
- Macaroni salad
- Greek salad
- Italian Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Baked Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Broccoli
How To Store Leftovers
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers from this chicken, store them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezing
Make sure to let the chicken cool completely before you freeze it. Place individual pieces of chicken into freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible from the freezer bag as you slide the zipper closed. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Great Chicken Recipes To Try:
- Beer Can Chicken
- Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Garlic Sauce
- Marinated Chicken Spiedies with Garlic Sauce
- Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes
- Baked Garlic and Ginger Chicken Drumsticks
- Roast Chicken
- Roasted Cornish Hens
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Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened (1 stick)
- ¼ cup poultry herb blend chopped *
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 4 pound whole chicken
Gravy
- pan drippings
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium or no sodium added, or water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Prepare oven and skillet: Preheat your oven to 425 F degrees. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. See recipe notes if you don’t have a large enough skillet.
- Make compound butter: In a small bowl add the butter, poultry herb blend, garlic, lemon zest, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk or mash with a spatula until well combined.
- Spatchcock chicken: Place the chicken breast-side down and the legs towards you. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut up along each side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go. Open the chicken out and turn it over then flatten the breastbone with the heel of your hand, by pressing down (see video) so that the meat is all one thickness. Cut the wing tips off as well.
- Season chicken: Season the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper, then flip it over so that the breast side is up.
- Apply compound butter: Run your fingers under the chicken skin (breasts and legs) and rub half of the compound butter under the skin. Spread the rest of the mixture over the top of the bird.
- Bake: Place the chicken in the prepared skillet and bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until it registers 165 to 170 F on an instant-read thermometer. The time can vary if using a different size chicken.
- Let chicken rest: Let the chicken rest at room temperature for about 15 minutes before carving it and serving.
- Make gravy: To make the gravy cook the fat drippings from the skillet in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Stir in the cornstarch and chicken broth or water. Stir constantly using a whisk, bring a boil and boil for 1 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
Video
Recipe Notes
- * You can find poultry herb blends in your local grocery store located with all the other herbs. Usually they contain rosemary, sage and thyme, so if you cannot the blend you could always buy them separately.
- If you don’t have a skillet (about 12 inch) large enough to roast the chicken you can use a baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a baking rack over it. Spray the rack with cooking spray.
- If your oven has a Roast function, preheat it to 375 F degrees and roast it for 35 minutes or until it registers 165 to 170 F on an instant-read thermometer. The time can vary if using a different size chicken.
- The nutritional information is for 6 people. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Hello! Looking forward to making this chicken, but I am unclear as to whether I am supposed to use fresh or dried herb blend. In the recipe it says chopped, but in your notes you link to a recipe for a dried version if you can’t find in the store. It is hard to tell from your video what you used. Please advise! Thank you!
I used fresh herbs. If you cannot find fresh herbs then you can use dried, about a tablespoon.
Joanna, I just had to bookmark this. I’ve made this recipe 3 times (one of which was making two birds for the non-traditional 2020 Thanksgiving), but for some reason I couldn’t find the recipe today! It used to be one of the first google results. I just drove myself crazy trying to find this one. Thanks for your amazing recipe!
Glad you found it again. There’s a search, both in the top and bottom, you can search for whatever you want there. 🙂
I couldn’t remember your website name but knew it as soon as I saw it and won’t forget it again! Looking forward to trying more
Used convection setting on my over at 400 with 4.5 lb chicken. It reached 165 degrees in 40 minutes but I left in another 10 for 50 total and it was spectacularly moist and perfectly done.
This was a fantastic way to cook a whole chicken. I used the Convection Roast function on my over, and it was browned and juicy. Leftovers are delicious too!
I loved this!! Made it today and it turned out perfect!! This was the first non-InstaPot recipe I’ve tried, so guess I’ll have to look through some more regular ones for new ideas!! I use several of your InstaPot recipes, in fact made the mongolian beef last night. The french onion and chicken noodle soups are my quick go dos , as they are so easy, quick and delicious. Thanks for sharing them.
This has become my favourite way to cook a whole chicken. Quick and easy and tastes great. Sometimes I change the herb/spice blend in the compound butter- ancho chilli, ground allspice, Mexican oregano etc gives it a ‘south of the border’ flavour- but this is always the method I follow.
If you have the time it’s not a bad idea to brine the chicken first to make it ultra-moist but it’s not vital.
Putting some smoked bacon over the breasts and legs doesn’t hurt either.
This came out great! I didn’t have the poultry herb blend, but I used herbs de provence mixed with sage, & oregano. I only noticed a few hours later (when I noticed that the compound butter in your picture was red) that the smoked paprika never actually appeared in your recipe. I quartered a few small red potatoes and put them in the castiron with the chicken and they came out perfect. The gravy was also a hit. Served alongside garlic broccoli
Very delicious! I put a pan of veggies in olive oil separate pan alongside the chicken.
Chicken was moist!
My boyfriend is the pickiest eater and never have I been so complimented on a chicken dish before! I made it with some Jamie Oliver mashed potatoes with Jo’s sumptuous gravy and he could not get enough. We ate every leftover and licked the plates clean, lol. Delicious!
That’s the sign of a great meal! Sounds awesome, we’re glad you loved the recipe.
I made this tonight. My husband and I both loved it. Thanks so much!
Made this yesterday. Fabulous! Easy and tasty. I just happen to grow rosemary, sage and thyme so I used the fresh product in the compound butter. Made it for my daughter and grandsons. They inhaled it. Thanks, Jo!
My pleasure, glad you guys all enjoyed it!
This was absolutely the best chicken I ever had. Are there different mixtures for flavoring. I am not a cook so any help would be greatly appreciated
Thank you
Bob.
Shotgunner90t@gmail.com
For sure! Try mixing some favorite spice mixtures like bbq rub, cajun, greek, or lemon pepper with the butter. Any flavors you love will work!
Give these a try as well:
Fajita seasoning
Jerk spice
Emeril’s essence
Dear Jo:
This is the BEST chicken I have ever made!!! I never spatchcocked before, I followed your instruction and it was very easy. But the best part was your recipe for the compound butter. Fantastic. I have bookmarked your blog for future reference. Well done and thank you!
We’ll never go back to the old way! So glad you love the recipe.