Spatchcocking a chicken may sound like a daunting task, but it’s a relatively straight-forward process and yields a perfectly roasted and tender bird in less time than it would normally take. Add some fresh herbs and a burst of citrus and you’ve got yourself a meal!
Lemon and Herb Spatchcocked Chicken
Spatchcocking a chicken may sound daunting, but it's a straight-forward process that yields a perfectly roasted bird.
Servings 0
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter unsalted, room temperature
- Approx. 1 Tbsp. each of freshly chopped rosemary, thyme, and sage (or the poultry blend from your grocery story)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Zest and juice of one lemon
- 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds
- Freshly cracked salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley and lemon slices, to garnish
Instructions
- Set the butter and chicken out on a countertop for an hour or so before roasting to bring both to about room temperature. The butter should be softened and easy to mash.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a small mixing bowl, thoroughly combine butter, chopped herbs, garlic, and lemon zest and juice.
- To spatchcock the chicken, remove any organs from inside of the bird and pat the bird dry all over.
- Flip the bird onto its breast. Using a good pair of a kitchen shears cut along both sides of the backbone completely. Remove the backbone and discard or set aside. (You can use the backbone for stocks, if you’d like.)
- Once the backbone has been removed, make a cut directly through the breastbone to help the cavity flatten.
- Flip the bird over so that it is now breast-side up. Press firmly on the breasts to completely flatten the bird. This will allow the breasts and thighs to roast more evenly.
- Liberally slather the herbed butter mixture all over the outside of the bird. Be sure to separate the skin of the bird from the breast meat and spread plenty of herbed butter underneath the skin.
- Season the bird with freshly cracked salt and pepper.
- Place the bird breast-side up onto a prepared baking sheet or roasting pan. Tuck the wings underneath the breasts to prevent them from burning.
- Roast in the oven for about one hour or until the breast temperature is about 160 degrees F. The thigh meat should be about 170 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest, uncovered, for approximately 10 minutes. The breast will continue to cook and rise to about 165 degrees F.
- Carve and serve alongside roasted root vegetables, like roasted potatoes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices if desired.
