If you love tender, juicy chicken with crispy skin, my spatchcock chicken recipe is just what you’re looking for.
Spatchcocking the chicken helps it cook faster and more evenly. With the bird lying flat, all of the skin is exposed, resulting in crispier skin throughout the chicken.
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Our Spatchcock Chicken recipe is my favorite way to roast a whole chicken. The seasoning can more easily be spread on the skin, resulting in deliciously seasoned, crispy chicken skin.
Wouldn’t you love to sit down to this deliciously seasoned crispy chicken? I promise you won’t hear your family say “chicken again”.
If you love oven-roasted chicken, make sure to try my baked blackened chicken and baked chicken leg quarters.
Use any leftover chicken to make my delicious chicken quesadilla recipe.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our spatchcock chicken recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means "everything in its Place."
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I make adjustments to the recipe?
I like to use a roaster for this recipe. It’s generally a larger bird, and with all poultry, the larger the bird, the more the meat-to-bone ratio increases.
You can use fresh herbs or your favorite seasoning blend to make this recipe. In fact, using a different seasoning blend every time you make it will definitely shake up your weeknight dinner menu.
Some of my favorite blends are lemon pepper, Cajun seasoning, Jerk seasoning, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, and even Old Bay. For a touch of heat, add a little cayenne pepper to the dry rub, or for a touch of sweetness, add a little brown sugar to the seasoning blend.
Think of the seasoning blend as a dry rub (dry brine). It adds flavor and also helps keep the bird moist and juicy.
Recipe Variations
- Herb Butter: Mix fresh herbs with softened butter and rub under the skin.
- Citrus Garlic: Add lemon slices and garlic cloves under the chicken for a fresh twist.
- Spicy Rub: Use smoked paprika, cayenne, and chili powder for heat.
- Grilled Version: Cook over indirect heat on the grill, then crisp the skin over direct flame.
What is Spatchcock Chicken?
Spatchcock means to butterfly or split a whole chicken (turkey or other poultry) by removing the backbone so that it can be flattened. You can use sharp kitchen shears or a sharp knife to easily cut out the backbone, then press the chicken flat (you might hear a crack) so that it cooks faster and more evenly. It also helps you get crispy chicken skin, we all love.
It’s a lot easier than it sounds.
How to make Spatchcock Chicken
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make spatchcock chicken in your home kitchen.
- Add the marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, black pepper, nutmeg, and sweet paprika to a small bowl.
- Whisk the seasonings to combine. This is our poultry seasoning dry rub.
- Place the whole chicken breast-side down on a cutting board and remove the giblets and neck from inside the bird.
- Find the backbone of the chicken from the cavity side, then carefully slice down the backbone on one side (or use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone).
- Then, repeat the step and cut the other side of the backbone. Save for soup or discard.
- Flip the chicken back over so the breast side is up, and press down on the breast bone using the palm of your hand to crack and flatten the whole bird. Pat the chicken skin dry with paper towels.
- Flip the chicken over and dry the cavity with paper towels. Season the cavity side of the chicken with poultry seasoning, rubbing it into the cavity.
- Turn the chicken back over and sprinkle with the poultry seasoning blend on the skin, coating the entire chicken. Then, gently rub the seasoning into the skin.
- Place the seasoned bird skin side up on a sheet pan fitted with a screen (or flat on a sheet pan or roasting pan). Setting the chicken on the grate will let the air circulate around it, helping it cook more evenly and crisp up.
- Let the chicken sit for 20 -30 minutes to allow the dry rub to penetrate the meat and for the bird to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the oven is preheated, place the sheet pan on the center rack and roast for one hour.
- After one hour, remove the butterflied chicken from the oven and brush the bird with melted butter. This will help give the skin a golden-brown, crispy skin.
- Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F., then place the pan back in the oven, and continue to roast for another 20 -30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 – 15 minutes before serving to allow the juice time to redistribute into the meat.
*Always place your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast meat, not the dark meat. The breast is thicker and will take longer to cook.
*Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken.
Chef Tips
- Let the chicken sit at room temp for 20-30 minutes before roasting for even cooking.
- Brush with melted butter partway through roasting for richer flavor and golden color.
- If you like extra crispy skin, place the chicken under the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the end.
- Save the backbone for homemade chicken stock, that way nothing goes to waste.
My Spatchcock Chicken recipe makes the juiciest chicken and is guaranteed to become a family favorite recipe.
If you enjoy making spatchcock chicken, try my spatchcock turkey recipe. Trust me, it’s easier than you think.
Serving Suggestions
- Pair with roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, or a fresh green salad.
- Perfect centerpiece for Sunday dinner or holiday gatherings.
- Serve leftovers shredded in sandwiches, wraps, soups or tossed with pasta.
Storage and Reheating
Store any leftovers well covered with plastic wrap (or in an airtight container), refrigerated for 3-4 days. It can be frozen (well-wrapped and in a ziplock bag) for up to two months.
Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through. For quick meals, microwave briefly and crisp under the broiler
Recipe FAQs
By removing the backbone, the chicken can lie flat. This reduces the cooking time significantly and allows the whole bird to get that crispy skin we all love. You can use this method on the grill, oven, or air fryer.
I have always used a chef’s knife for this process, but I usually advise investing in a good pair of kitchen shears and using those to cut out the backbone.
To carve a spatchcock chicken, first remove the leg quarters and wings, then slice the breast meat. Here’s a general guide: Start by cutting through the skin between the leg and breast, then use a knife to separate the leg quarter from the breast. Finally, slice the breast meat against the grain.
A 4-5 lb spatchcock chicken cooks in about 1 hour 20 minutes at 350-375°F, much faster than a traditional roast.
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Easy Spatchcock Chicken (Step-by-Step Guide)
Ingredients
- 4 – 5 lb Chicken look for a roaster
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoon salted butter melted
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Instructions
- Add the marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, black pepper, nutmeg, and sweet paprika to a small bowl. Whisk the seasonings to combine. This is our poultry seasoning dry rub.
- Remove chicken giblets and neck from the cavity of the chicken.
- Place the whole chicken breast side down on a cutting board.
- Find the backbone of the chicken from the cavity side, then carefully slice down the backbone on one side (or use sharp kitchen shears to cut out the backbone).
- Then, repeat the step and cut the other side of the backbone. Save for soup or discard.
- Flip the chicken back over so the breast side is up, and press down on the chicken to crack and flatten it so it lays flat.
- Pat the chicken skin dry with a paper towel.
- Flip the chicken over and dry the cavity with a paper towel. Season the cavity side of the chicken with poultry seasoning, rubbing it into the cavity.
- Turn the chicken back over and sprinkle with the poultry seasoning blend on the skin, coating all of the exposed skin. Then rub the seasoning into the skin.
- Place the seasoned bird on a sheet pan witted with a screen (or flat on a sheet pan or roasting pan. Setting the chicken on the grate will let the air circulate around the bird, helping it to cook more evenly and crisp up.
- Let the chicken sit for 20 -30 minutes to let the dry rub penetrate the meat and to allow the bird to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the sheet pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and roast for one hour.
- After one hour, remove the chicken from the oven and brush the bird with melted butter. This will help give the skin a golden-brown crispy skin.
- Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees and place the pan back in the oven and continue to roast for another 20 -30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 – 15 minutes before serving to allow the juice time to redistribute into the meat.
Notes
- Herb Butter: Mix fresh herbs with softened butter and rub under the skin.
- Citrus Garlic: Add lemon slices and garlic cloves under the chicken for a fresh twist.
- Spicy Rub: Use smoked paprika, cayenne, and chili powder for heat.
- Grilled Version: Cook over indirect heat on the grill, then crisp the skin over direct flame.
- Let the chicken sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before roasting for even cooking.
- Brush with melted butter partway through roasting for richer flavor and golden color.
- If you like extra crispy skin, place the chicken under the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the end.
- Save the backbone for homemade chicken stock, that way nothing goes to waste.
- Always place your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, not the dark meat. The breast is thicker and will take longer to cook.
- Pair with roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables, or a fresh green salad.
- Perfect centerpiece for Sunday dinner or holiday gatherings.
- Serve leftovers shredded in sandwiches, wraps, soups or tossed with pasta.
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