This easy recipe will show you how to spatchcock chicken so it’s perfectly juicy with golden, crispy skin! Plus, my delicious Mediterranean seasoning blend and fresh veggies to roast alongside.
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!
Table of Contents
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!
What to Serve with this Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
This spatchcock chicken is a versatile protein to serve with all sorts of sides and salads, but these go particularly well with the warming Middle Eastern-style seasonings:
- Salad: Tabouli or Fattoush.
- Grains and rice: Smoky freekeh or golden Persian rice.
- Sides: Batata Harra (Spicy Potatoes) or Roasted Carrots with Dukkah and Mint.
More Roast Chicken Recipes
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Ingredients
- 1 (4 pound) whole chicken
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Extra virgin olive oil
To Roast Alongside (Optional)
- 8 Campari tomatoes
- 1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
- Handful of pitted green olives
Instructions
- Spatchcock (butterfly) the chicken. Place the chicken on a cutting board with its backbone facing you. Using a pair of sturdy kitchen shears, cut out the backbone by cutting along both sides of the spine. Remove the backbone (save for stock). Flip the chicken over and push down on the breast with your palms to flatten.
- 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 the spices 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. Transfer the cast iron skillet to the middle rack of the hot oven. Slide it all way to the back of the oven. Roast for 20 minutes, then use oven mitts to carefully turn the skillet 180 degrees (the handle is now pointing 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 the tomato and onion to a small roasting dish. Toss with olive oil and salt. Place on the lower rack of the oven to roast. When done, add a handful of green olives to the roasted veggies and return to the oven for a few minutes to warm.
- Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before carving. Enjoy!
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Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- When to salt the chicken. If you don’t have time to salt the chicken and refrigerate overnight, do this as early as possible the day of (even 2 hours or so before cooking will help).
Nutrition
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My little family would love love love this chicken! Yummy in tummy!
This looks amazing! We’re trying to transition over to more of a Mediterranean diet, and your site has been super helpful!
Wonderful, Kristi! Glad we can help!
This dinner would be great to prepare for my 2 children and their families for a weekend get together.
Awesome, Marie! Enjoy!
I’d make this dish for my husband and my parents to celebrate at Sunday dinner
Enjoy, Jennifer!
Spatchcocked chicken is the best! I never would have thought of using these spices on chicken but after reading this recipe I can image how delicious it would be, a real taste sensation!
I will gladly serve this crispy spatchcocked chicken to my family or any guest we have over for dinner.
The cookbook Salt Acid Fat Heat sounds intriguing. I continually learn from others willing to share their art and knowledge of cooking.
Thank you for the opportunity to win this book.
Thank you, Carol! I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe. The book is a great resource for sure!
Carol, I hope you’ll give this recipe a try! We do enjoy it a lot here. Yes, this book is a great resource!
This looks and sounds amazing! Can I use chicken parts instead of a whole chicken? That’s all I have at the moment in the freezer.
I would make this for me!! Lol
I love following your blog and subscribe to your newsletter. My daughter works at an Italian restaurant owned by an Egyptian Muslim. He has become good friends with our family. So one night I invited him to have dinner with a small group of family and friends so that we could ask him questions about Islam. It was a wonderful night, with a wonderful exchange of thoughts. I decided to cook something from your blog, Moroccan Chicken. Then I panicked, what am I doing cooking for a native Egyptian something that he probably was familiar with? When he arrived he said that the house smelled amazing. When I told him what it was, he was delighted because he had never had Moroccan food. It was a huge success! Next we’re going to his house to enjoy Shakshura, which his wife will make. This chicken looks like a great recipe when they join us at my house again. Love your newsletter and blog.
Sherri, thank you so much for your kind comment and for sharing about your friends! I love to hear these stories and wonderful connections. Glad the harissa chicken was a success! I hope you’ll enjoy the Shakshuka dinner with your new friends!
This looks like a lovely dish, I would love to make it…and eat it of course!!
I would have never thought to use nutmeg on roasted meat. I do use it in greens, though. This chicken looks delish. Can’t wait to try it. “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” sounds like a super cookbook. Hope I win! ?
Oh a little nutmeg on chicken does wonders! Enjoy! Good luck with the drawing
OMG!!! This chicken!! Great tips Suzy.
I heard so much about this book. I am so glad you wrote about it. A ton of great tips here..
Thanks my friend!
Thanks, friend! We do enjoy this chicken a lot over here. Salt Fat Acid Heat is a great resource for sure.
This looks yummy!
It is! Hope you try it!
Looks delicious. Like the allspice.
So good! Enjoy!
I would cook this for my husband, we love whole chicken!
Great, Amber!
Suzy, I have tried so many of your recipes with so much success….I can’t wait to try this one too. I will be preparing my chicken this evening for tomorrow’s family gathering…every time I tell the gang that I am using one of your recipes they all get so excited and can’t wait to get here to taste it. Thanks again.
Cydikay, thank you so much for your kind feedback! I am so glad to hear the recipes have worked out well for you. I can’t wait to hear what the gang thinks of this one!!!
This chicken looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. I have an abundance of tomatoes and onions coming out of the garden and this will make a great meal!