Spatchcock Chicken

If you’ve been here a while, you know I’m all about simple, delicious meals that don’t require cheffy techniques. That’s why you can trust me when I say: spatchcocking a chicken is worth the extra step!

While I love the look of a whole roasted chicken, if I’m cooking for myself or my family I’m almost always spatchcocking it first. The meat cooks quicker and more evenly, and you get that perfectly golden skin. I’m even known to spatchcock my grilled chicken! 

For this simple spatchcock roast chicken recipe, I season the meat with a fragrant blend of allspice, nutmeg, paprika, and garlic, which brings bold Middle Eastern-style vibe. I know you’ll be making this on repeat!

What is Spatchocking?

Sometimes called “butterflying,” spatchcocking is simply removing the chicken’s backbone so it lays flat. Starting with the whole bird is great because it’s often cheaper by the pound than the broken-down pieces. Plus, you get to enjoy both the light and dark meat. Here’s why I love spatchcocking before roasting:

• The chicken cooks faster. 
• The meat cooks evenly, so you dry chicken breasts is a thing of the past.
• It’s extra crispy! The flat surface means can sear the skin in a pan before roasting.

Ingredients for this Spatchcocked Chicken Recipe

You don’t need any fancy ingredients or equipment to make spatchcock chicken. Here’s what I used: 

• Whole chicken: Look for about a 4 pound chicken. You can often ask your butcher to spatchcock it for you, but it’s easy enough to do it yourself. 
• Spices: I used a warming, savory blend of allspice, garlic powder, sweet paprika, ground nutmeg, salt and pepper. Chicken is a pretty neutral base, free to experiment with the spices you love–Italian seasoning, Greek oregano, ras el hanout, baharat, the list goes on!
• Olive oil: Use a high quality extra virgin variety for the best flavor.
• Veggies (optional): I love tomatoes, onion, and green olives along with the chicken, but feel free to skip this or swap with other quick-cooking vegetables like mushrooms and carrots. 

How to Cook Spatchcocked Chicken

Spatchcocked chicken takes about 50 to 65 minutes to cook in a 425°F oven, but I like to crisp the skin first. Here are the steps: 

Spatchcock the Chicken

• Cut out the backbone. Place a 4-ish pound chicken on a cutting board with its backbone facing you. Using a pair of sturdy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the spine.
• Remove the backbone: Don’t throw it away! Save for chicken stock, in your freezer if you don’t plan to make it right away.
• Flatten the chicken. Flip the chicken over and push down on the breast with your palms to flatten. You may or may not hear a crack. Congratulations, you have now spatchcocked–also known as butterflied–a chicken!

Season and Sear the Chicken

• Salt the chicken (if you have time, do this the night before). Generously season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, then place in a shallow roasting dish with the breast side up. If you have the time, refrigerate uncovered overnight to dry out the skin. One hour before you plan to roast the chicken, pull the chicken out of the fridge and set at room temperature.
• Get ready to roast. Set one oven rack near the middle of your oven and one near the bottom. Preheat to 425°F. 
• Season the chicken. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg in a small bowl, then rub all over the chicken. Pull the skin up and apply some of the spice mix underneath as well.
• Sear the chicken. Coat the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet in a thin layer of olive oil and set over medium-high heat. As soon as the oil is shimmering, add the chicken with the breast side down. Allow to brown undisturbed for 6-8 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side, another 5 minutes or so.

Roast the Chicken 

• Roast the chicken. Transfer the cast iron skillet to the middle rack of the hot oven. Slide it all way to the back of the oven.
• Rotate the chicken. Roast for 20 minutes, carefully turn the skillet 180 degrees (so the handle points the opposite direction). Push to the back of the oven again. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, another 30 to 45 minutes. The chicken should be brown all over, with the thickest part near the leg bone reading 165°F.
• Meanwhile, roast the vegetables (optional). About 20 minutes or so before you pull the chicken out of the oven, add 8 Campari tomatoes tomatoes and 1 quartered onion to a small roasting dish. Toss with olive oil and salt. Place on the lower rack of the oven to roast. 
• Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before carving. Add a handful of green olives to the roasted veggies. Enjoy!

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