This spatchcock roasted chicken is flattened, then infused with lemon and herbs marinade, and then roasted to perfection with baby potatoes. It is a great technique to acquire because of all the wins that are involved - Even seasoning, even and shortened time of cooking. Also with bone-in, you are still keeping all the delicious flavor that comes out tender and juicy every time.
Roasted chicken is a great way go-to meat to whip up for dinner, but using the same recipe over and over could be tiring. Fortunately, you can learn how to spatchcock your chicken to jazz things up.
Juicy and tasty chicken with added whole, soft-tender baby potatoes is like a classic dinner you order from the fast fast-food chain but even better and tastier. This roasted chicken recipe goes well with our favorite house salad recipe, or a great side dish to the joy of kale and roasted sweet potatoes salad. Also, this pairs well with sauteed healthy garlic escape.
What is spatchcock?
Spatchcock is also known as a "butterfly", which is to prepare a chicken or any other type of bird by cutting it open down the middle and then pressing it flat - Cambridge Dictionary
How to Spatchcock {Butterfly} a Chicken?
This technique requires a skill that sounds complicated but actually not. You only need a sturdy poultry shear and a chopping board that is wide enough for the chicken.
- Place the chicken breast side down, and then using a poultry shear, cut out the backbone starting from the neck cutting along both side of the spine.
- Open the chicken, spread the chicken legs apart and then flip skin side up.
- Place your two hands overlapping each other on the chicken's breastbone pressing down firmly until you crack the wishbone
Tips for the spine
Cut both sides of the spine, this is what all the gurus and experts of spatchcocking chicken taught us. Thus, definitely looking clean-cut and for formality's sake. What would you do with the backbone, discard it? use to make gravy? or save it for what? Here in my kitchen, it is the irony, I don't remove the spine. I kept it, which means I don't shear both sides of the spine. My purpose here is once the bones are roasted It' gives that distinct delicious aroma when you cook with something else. Any bones left after carving are saved for bone broth or chicken stock, that's including the spine.
Now, are you going to remove the backbone/spine? It's all up to you. Just one last thought, it is so good to be discarded.
Roasted chicken marinade
Exactly! A marinade - made of Lemon, a combination of fresh or dried herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper with added sugar to give a touch of sweetness that will give you that lemony, healthy flavor and moist chicken that no gravy is necessary. The marinade makes the chicken stand out on its own.
Lemon is a versatile ingredient. Any extra lemon from the marinade you made is also an opportunity to make The best crisp lemon cookies for delight after dinner or even a snack while waiting for the roast chicken dinner.
How to cook spatchcock chicken?
Cooking spatchcock chicken is not complicated. It just needs a little skill of shearing the backbone to flatten it.
▶︎Make the marinade. Rub all over the chicken. Place in a container and cover with plastic wrap or place in a ziplock bag. Make sure it is all sealed tight or else your fridge will smell like a factory of marinated chicken. Let it marinate for at least 4 hours then you're ready to cook.
▶︎Before bringing the chicken to the oven, take heed about the bits and pieces of the marinade- you can entirely clean it all or to my preference, I like some bits and pieces left behind, they smell good as they get burned and they actually add texture as they turned crispy.
▶︎Finally, the wings. Either cut the tip off( but why?) or pull the wings and tuck in underneath the breast but if you're like me who doesn't give too much of a fuss (because the tips of the wings will get burned first), then leave it where they are.
spatchcock roasted chicken with lemon and herb marinade
Equipment
- large sautee pan or roasting pan
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Spatchcock/Butterflied chicken (scroll back on how to spatchcock chicken)
- 2 pounds Baby potatoes
Marinade:
- 2 large Lemons [lemon and juice]
- 4 Fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon (each) Fresh rosemary, thyme, and savory or 1 teaspoon each of dried herbs, or use 2-3 tablespoons of one of the herbs available
- 1 stem Lemongrass, finely chopped, (optional)
- 5 large Garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon Sea salt
- 2 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup Brown sugar, lightly packed
Instructions
Make the marinade
- Add the herbs, lemon peel, garlic, salt, and pepper in a pestle and mortar and give a bash to help release all the flavor and oil. Add the sugar and lemon juice, stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Place the butterflied chicken in a re-sealable plastic bag or any non-reactive container and evenly distribute the marinade all over the chicken. Let it marinate for at least an hour to four hours in the fridge.
- Bring the chicken to room temperature - One hour before you plan to roast the chicken, pull the chicken out of the fridge. Remove the chicken from the marinade and transfer it to another plate. Set aside to come to room temperature.
- Boil enough water to cover the potatoes in a cooking pan with a generous amount of salt and then parboil the potatoes until just tender but not fully cooked. About 5-8 minutes depending on their size. Drain the water, transfer the potatoes to a bowl, and coat with 4 tablespoons of oil- set aside.
- Pre-heat the Oven to 450°F
- Transfer the chicken to a large oven-proof frying pan or a baking dish and roast in the oven for 35 minutes. Add the potatoes coated with oil Continue roasting for another 10-15 minutes or when the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are soft all the way through.
- The thickest part of the chicken breast close to the bone should register to 150°F and the joint between thigh and body should have reached 175°F using an instant thermometer and the juices run clear.
Notes
- If you don't have pestle and mortar to bash the herbs and lemon peel, grate the lemon zest and finely chop the herbs and then add the rest of the ingredients to incorporate.
- To determine if the chicken is done without a thermometer, you'll need to cut into the skin between the body and the leg and thigh to see if it's still overly pink.
- Lemongrass can be substituted with lime zest using the same amount.
- Check the potatoes after 30 minutes, it can be roasted ahead of time depending on their size.
Justin says
Delicious Chicken! Moist, tasty and best for the next day. I will make it again!
peter lalonde says
Being a chicken fanatic, I dug in and tried this recipe and had a lot of fun doing so. It was amazing with great taste, glad I tried it)
Vera McCallum says
Amazing Joy, thank you for showing such a great recipe, it was so good.
Joy Cadwising says
Thank you!!