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The first time I ever heard the word, spatchcock, was from chef Michael Symon on show, The Chew. I thought I had heard wrong, but he said it again while demonstrating how you actually spatchcock a whole chicken. I was enthralled. I was always intimidated about cooking a whole chicken. I didn’t realize how easy it was though, and after watching that segment, it has become one of my preferred methods to roast a whole chicken, even on a weeknight. When it’s cooked flat, with more skin exposed, the chicken is juicy and so delicious. Spatchcock has also become my favorite word in the culinary world because I still need to grow up apparently, lol…but I hope I don’t. 😉

So what exactly is “spatchcocking”? 🤭

Spatchcock means to butterfly a whole chicken. You remove the backbone so the whole chicken can be flattened. When a whole chicken is prepared this way, it cooks faster overall and can be incredibly versatile for different recipes. I’ve made it herb-rubbed, lemon chicken, with a side of chimichurri, or for this post specifically, just salt, pepper and olive oil with onions and potatoes. It is so simple and easy, but unbelievably delicious too.

You can cook it in the oven or outside on the grill. I sometimes like to cook two at once, especially if I’m hosting what I call a ‘whole family playdate’. These are my favorite kind of dinners where Cee and/or Em’s friends come over with their siblings and parents. I make a large pot of rice, a side of some sort of veggies, with the chicken and potatoes as the main course. No ordering of pizzas in my house. It’s healthy, affordable and most importantly we get to enjoy the company of our favorite people without worrying about food allergies. 😍

How to spatchcock the chicken

What you definitely need for this is a good pair of kitchen shears. I bought a pair of Miyabi shears about four years ago, and they still work amazing. It is one of the best tools to have in the kitchen and I don’t know how I cooked or prepped anything without them before.

So first, dry the chicken thoroughly and place on a sturdy cutting board. Flip the chicken so the breast-side is down and the back is up (seriously think this post is moving beyond PG-13 😆) Start to cut up along one side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go. I try to avoid cutting out the chicken oysters, which are two oval-shaped pieces of dark meat near the backbone. There’s one on each side of the backbone and I call it the ‘filet mignon’ of a chicken.

Cut up along the other side of the backbone to remove it completely. Freeze the backbone to make stock or bone broth later, or roast it alongside the chicken so the stock has better flavor. (See Notes below).

Then, to make it easier to flatten, make a small cut on the cartilage at the top, above the breast bone.

Flip the chicken over, with the breast-side up. Using the heel of your palm, firmly push the top of the chicken downward against the cutting board. You should hear a crack and it should flatten out. Season with salt and pepper, getting under the skin especially. It’s best to let this marinate overnight, but absolutely okay to cook right away. Be sure to let the chicken come to room temperature before roasting.

Cut the potatoes and onions into chunks and place onto a large sheet pan. (See Notes below about potatoes). Season this with salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss to evenly coat. Then I place the chicken right on top of this. The potatoes act as a sort of roasting rack. The fat that comes off the chicken during roasting mixed with the aromatic onions is definitely key to the tastiness of this.

Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF. For a 3 to 4-pound bird (see Notes below), with the thighs facing the back of the oven, roast for about 45 minutes to an hour. Start checking the temperature at the 45 minute mark. Insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast to check the temperature. (See Notes for the thermometer I recommend). It should be about 165ºF when done. You definitely don’t want dry chicken, so check the temp every 5 minutes. Remember it continues to cook after removing from the oven, so even at about 160ºF, you can take the chicken out. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving.

I like to sauté whatever vegetables I happen to have on hand to serve alongside the chicken and potatoes. The Hubs and I eat just this to keep it paleo or Whole30 and especially low-carb. I make rice for the kids and I’ll admit it’s even more amazing with steaming, fluffy, white rice…yum! But this chicken is so adaptable. I hope you try it and please share how you like to serve it. Cheers!

Easy Roasted Spatchcock Chicken, Allergy-Free, Whole30, Paleo

Recipe by yayitsfreefromthisCuisine: ChickenDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

Ingredients

3-4lb whole roasting chicken
3 lbs russet potatoes (see Notes)
Kosher salt to taste (see Notes)
Freshly ground pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large yellow onion

Directions

Dry the chicken thoroughly and place on a sturdy cutting board, breast-side down, legs pointing towards you.
Using very sharp kitchen shears, start to cut up along one side of the backbone, cutting through the rib bones as you go. Cut close to the backbone at the center, so you don’t lose too much meat.
Cut up along the other side of the backbone and remove it completely. See Notes below about saving the backbone.
To make it easier to flatten, make a small cut on the cartilage at the top, above the breast bone. Flip the chicken over, with the breast-side up. Using the heel of your palm, firmly push the top of the chicken downward against the cutting board. You should hear a crack and it should flatten out.
Season with salt and pepper, on both sides. Gently separate or lift the skin, and rub the seasoning underneath evenly. It’s best to let this marinate overnight.
When ready to roast, let the chicken come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF. All ovens are different, so please adjust your oven’s temperature accordingly.
Scrub and rinse the potatoes. Dry with a kitchen towel, then cut into large chunks. Add to a large sheet pan.
Cut the onion into large chunks as well and toss onto the sheet pan with the potatoes.
Sprinkle the potatoes and onions with salt and pepper to taste. Generously drizzle with olive oil, and toss to distribute oil and seasoning. Spread the onions and potatoes evenly on the sheet pan.
Place the flattened chicken right on top of the potatoes and onions. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and use hands to spread the oil evenly over the skin.
Tuck the wing tips under the chicken.
With the thighs facing the back of the oven, roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the chicken. Start checking the temperature at the 45 minute mark. Insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breast to check the temperature. It will be done when it’s about 165ºF.
If it’s under 165ºF and to prevent overcooking the chicken, check the temp every 5 minutes. Remember it continues to cook after removing from the oven, so even at about 160ºF, you can take the chicken out. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container for about 3-4 days max.

Notes

The salt I use is Morton’s Kosher salt. When dry-brining the chicken (meaning marinating with dry salt and pepper) I use 3/4 teaspoons per pound. Adjust the salt to your taste and diet.
I prefer russet potatoes over yellow potatoes for this recipe. The higher starch content in russets make crispier potatoes and they hold up better when eating. When I use yellow or Yukon potatoes, they don’t crisp up and are very soft, almost mushy when eating.
When I plan to cook a spatchcock a chicken, I tend to buy a larger chicken since it cooks faster. So I look for 4 to 4.5 lb chickens. If it’s under 4lbs, be sure to check for doneness earlier. When cooking two chickens at once, try to buy two that are very close in weight.
The first food thermometer I had came in a barbecue grill set and quickly broke on me. I invested in a Lavatools Pro three years ago. It is pricey, but I think it’s worth it and highly recommend it for accurate readings.
After removing the backbone, I recommend freezing it to make stock or bone broth later. Just put it in a ziploc freezer bag, and when you’re done eating all the chicken, save those cooked bones and combine it with the frozen backbones to make the stock. Sometimes I also like to roast the backbone alongside the chicken so the stock has a better depth of flavor.