Mediterranean Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

Mediterranean Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is butterflied chicken seasoned with lemon, garlic, and herbs, roasted to perfection.  It’s simple to make, and something the whole family will love!

It’s time for Mystery Dish!  Mystery Dish is a group of bloggers that create a dish based on a list of ingredients.  This month was hosted by Katie from Made To Be A Momma, and we were to use 3 of the following ingredients:

1. Poppyseed
2. Lemon
3. Cream cheese
4. Hot sauce
5. Chicken
6. Orzo Pasta
7. Baby spinach
8. Coconut
9. Mushrooms
10. Ritz crackers
11. Fresh herbs ( any kind)

I chose the (3) ingredients in bold print, obviously, which means for once, I went savory for my Mystery Dish challenge!  That’s probably because I’d overdosed on sweets in December, and when the list of ingredients list came out in early January, I was in full on savory mode.

I’d been wanting to make spatchcock roast chicken for a long while, and I took this opportunity to try something completely new.  I really enjoyed making this, and spatchcock chicken is completely in the rotation now. 😉  If you have no idea what spatchcock chicken is, it’s basically butterflied whole chicken.  For more information on this, see my post on How to Spatchcock a Chicken and Why You Should Do It.  🙂

Lemon and fresh herbs were the perfect thing for my roasted chicken to put a mediterranean spin on it.  I chose oregano and thyme, and added garlic to the mix, because you gotta have that.

If you don’t have fresh herbs, simply use dried.  And bear in mind that minced garlic will burn easily here, especially since the chicken is cooked at such a high heat.  Simply loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs, and rub it over the meat.  The skin will protect it from burning.  I also like to rub the herb-olive oil mixture under the skin as well as over the top to give it even more flavor.

I also placed lemon slices underneath the skin, to make the chicken nice and lemony.  And this chicken is just that!  It’s citrusy and herbaceous, with plenty of garlic zip.

This Mediterranean Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is guaranteed to please the whole family, and it’s really easy too.  You can even ask the butcher to remove the backbone of the chicken for you and make it even easier!  You’ll have delicious roast chicken in one hour or a bit less.  And if you close your eyes while eating this, you might just transport yourself to the Greek isles, which is some very tasty traveling. 🙂

Be sure and check out the links below to see what the other Mystery Dish bloggers made!

Crunchy Baked Coconut Chicken Nuggets with Spicy Dipping Sauce by The Well Floured Kitchen

Grilled Chicken & Spinach Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing by Inspiration Kitchen

Lemon Poppyseed Coconut Cookie Cups by The Smart Cookie Cook

Lemon Poppyseed Coconut Waffles by Made to be a Momma

Skillet Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce by Simply Gloria

Soft Lemon Poppyseed Cookies by I Dig Pinterest

Spinach Chicken Crepes with White Wine Cream Sauce by Living Better Together

(2-Ingredient) Strawberry Soda Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting by Yummy Healthy Easy

Mediterranean Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

Mediterranean Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is whole chicken butterflied, seasoned with fresh lemon, herbs, and garlic, and roasted to perfection!

Author: Flavor the Moments

Serves: About 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 - 4 lb. whole chicken, patted dry and spatchcocked*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano (2 teaspoons dried)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme (2 teaspoons dried)
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices fresh lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Place the chicken breast side up on a cutting board. Place the olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
2. Loosen the skin over the chicken breasts and thighs without tearing it. Rub the breast and thigh meat with the minced garlic, followed by some of the oil-herb mixture, then place the (4) lemon slices under the skin of each thigh and breast. Rub the entire chicken, top and bottom with the remaining herb-oil mixture and place on a rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet.
3. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve the chicken, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

For step by step instructions on how to spatchcock a chicken, see my post "How to Spatchcock a Chicken and Why You Should Do It".

Cooking time will vary depending how large your chicken is, so check for doneness as early as 45 minutes.

If your chicken begins to brown too quickly, place foil over the top until it's finished cooking.

Save your giblets and backbones in a zip top bag and freeze until you're ready to make stock!

Recipe by Flavor the Moments.

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