Spatchcock Chicken Recipe

An overhead image of a spatchcock chicken in a pan with onions.

This recipe for Spatchcock Chicken Recipe makes a cozy, comforting dinner. The chicken roasts up juicy with crispy skin, and with simple ingredients, it’s ready in about an hour.

Course dinner, Main, Main Course, Main dish

Cuisine American

Diet Low Calorie

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 567kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons fresh parsley larger stems removed
¼ cup olive oil
2 small lemons zest and juice
¼ cup Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 large onions cut into chunks
8 pound whole chicken spatchcocked
½ cup water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a roasting pan or sheet pan with cooking spray and scatter onion chunks into the pan. Set aside.
Place the parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, Italian seasoning and Romano cheese into the food processor. Pulse until well combined.
Pat dry the chicken and rub a small amount of marinade onto the bottom of the chicken. Use your hand to gently separate the skin from the breasts, thighs and drums and rub marinade all over these pieces under the skin. Rub the remaining marinade all of the outside of the chicken.
Place the chicken on top of the onions in the pan, tuck the wing tips under the breast, and place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, avoiding touching the bone (if you have a second place it in the thickest part of the thigh). Pour water into the bottom of the pan.
Roast uncovered until the temperature reaches 161 degrees F in the breast (the thigh will be 180 degrees F), around an hour.
Remove from the oven, and rest the chicken on your cutting board for 7-8 minutes. Carve and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Make sure you hear a crack when you push down the chicken during spatchcocking- it's important that so that the chicken will lie flat and cook evenly.

Or ask your butcher to spatchcock it for you- work smarter. not harder!

A mini prep processor is a great tool for the marinade- Much smaller and easier clean up!

Get under the skin- don't skip this. While it's not my favrrite part of deal with raw chicken, it's vital for nice, flavorful meat!

Keep and eye on the chicken while cooking- if it's getting to brown, cover with a little foil. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add a little more water to avoid burnt onions.

Roast by temp, not time- each bird is a little different and by cooking by temp, you're ensuring perfectly cooked meat every time.

Don't skip the resting- This allow the chicken to finish cooking and the juices to redistribute through the bird so they don't come flowing out when you cut into it.

Ingredients to prep ahead- Chop onions, clean parsley, spatchcock your chicken.

Leftovers and storage- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use leftovers in soups, salads, or sandwiches.

Nutrition