Spatchcock Roast Chicken
This Spatchcock Roast Chicken is everything you love about juicy, roast chicken without the effort!  This is an easy one pot dinner that the entire family will love, and it cooks up in about an hour!
It’s been icy cold and rainy here, so I’ve been all about the comfort food lately. Comfort food comes in so many forms, but it really doesn’t get much better than a roast chicken dinner does it?
I prepare my sheet pan chicken thighs often during the week because provides all of the comfort of a leisurely Sunday dinner and it’s done in a fraction of the time.
This easy Spatchcock Roast Chicken goes even further as it includes an entire butterflied chicken that cooks up crisp and juicy over a bed of potatoes and vegetables in about one hour. If you’re lucky, you’ll even have leftovers.
Winner winner, chicken dinner! 🙂
Spatchcocking isn’t just for chicken! Be sure to try my spatchcock turkey next Thanksgiving. It cooks up to juicy, golden brown perfection every single time in about an hour and a half!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Spatchcock roast chicken is perfectly golden brown and crispy with tender, caramelized potatoes and root vegetables that cooks up in one pot in about one hour!
- There’s minimal prep involved, and most of it may be done in advance.
- It’s a family friendly dinner that’s also elegant enough for entertaining.
- This meal is naturally gluten free.
Recipe ingredients
This spatchcock roast chicken recipe includes simple ingredients which can be customized with what you already have on hand.
- Chicken. Use a whole 3.5- 4 lb. whole chicken for this recipe. Pro tip: save yourself a step and ask your butcher to spatchcock your chicken for you!
- Smoked paprika. The chicken is simply seasoned with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. You can certainly substitute it with your favorite seasoning or dry rub.
- Root vegetables. Be sure to use nice, hardy vegetables that won’t cook up too quickly in this recipe. I used a combination of baby potatoes, carrots, parsnips and fennel, but feel free to substitute with your favorite. See my roasted root vegetables recipe for a complete list of viable options.
- Thyme. Substitute the thyme with your favorite herbs such as rosemary, oregano or herbs de provence.
How to make this recipe
This spatchcock roast chicken recipe is completely easy to make, and most of the prep may be done in advance.
Start by spatchcocking the recipeSee my post on How to Spatchcock a Chicken for step by step instructions. Pro tip: You can do this step 1-2 days in advance, or ask your butcher to do it for you!
The carrots, parsnips and fennel may be prepped in advance. Pro tip: Use small baby potatoes as they’re the perfect size — just add them to the vegetables and toss with the oil and herbs.
- Spatchcock the chicken, then loosen the skin over the breast meat. Combine the smoked paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil, and rub it under the skin over the breast meat, then all over the chicken. Place the spatchcock chicken in the cast iron skillet (a rimmed sheet works perfectly too), and allow to sit out at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
- Toss the vegetables with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, and place in the skillet around the chicken. Roast for 45 minutes to one hour at 400 degrees, depending on the weight of your chicken, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at 165 degrees.
FAQs
The best way to cook a spatchcock chicken is at a high temperature of 400 degrees in a large rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet. The low sides of these pans ensures maximum exposure of the entire chicken, which results in evenly golden brown, crispy skin. Cook for 45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at 165 degrees.
Spatchcock chicken cooks up to 25% faster because it cooks evenly at a higher temperature of 400 degrees. You can expect a 3 1/2 – 4 lb. chicken to be done in about 45 minutes!
There is no need to flip spatchcock chicken during the cooking time as this method results in perfect, evenly cooked chicken.
Roast spatchcock chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast or thigh registers at 165 degrees.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Spatchcock your chicken in advance or ask your butcher to do it for you!
- A 3-4 lb. chicken works perfectly for this spatchcock roast chicken recipe. Cooking time depends on the weight of your chicken and your oven temperature (they all vary). Check the temperature after 45 minutes of cooking time and baste the vegetables with the chicken juices if necessary to keep from burning.
- If the chicken browns too quickly, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
- Change up this recipe using your favorite potatoes or vegetables, or try different spice rubs, herbs, garlic and citrus! Pro tip: Use baby potatoes as they’re the perfect size!
More chicken recipes you’ll love:
- Chicken enchiladas
- Classic roast chicken recipe by Delish
- Grilled BBQ chicken
- Instant pot chicken and rice
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!
Easy Spatchcock Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 3.5 pounds whole chicken
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. baby potatoes halved if on the large side
- 2 medium carrots chopped into 1/2″ chunks
- 2 medium parsnips chopped into 1/2″ chunks
- 1 fennel bulb halved and sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
Equipment
Instructions
- Spatchcock the chicken or ask your butcher to do it for you. This may be done 1-2 days in advance. Access full instructions on how to spatchcock a chicken by clicking the link to my post in the Notes section below.
- Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with the paprika, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Rub all over the chicken and underneath the skin onto the breast meat. Allow to come to room temperature for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken in a large cast iron skillet (I use this one) or a rimmed baking sheet. Toss the potatoes, carrots, parsnips and fennel with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, then place the them in the skillet around the chicken.
- Roast the chicken for 45 minutes to one hour or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. In my experience, the chicken is so tender it comes right off without a knife like a rotisserie chicken! Carve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: See my step by step instructions on How to Spatchcock a Chicken or have your butcher do it for you!
- A 3-4 lb. chicken works perfectly for this spatchcock roast chicken recipe. Cooking time depends on the weight of your chicken and your oven temperature (they all vary). Check the temperature after 45 minutes of cooking time and baste the vegetables with the chicken juices if necessary to keep from burning.
- If the chicken browns too quickly, cover with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.
- Change up this recipe using your favorite potatoes or vegetables, or try different spice rubs, herbs, garlic and citrus! Pro tip: Use baby potatoes as they’re the perfect size!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
10 Comments on “Spatchcock Roast Chicken”
The most perfect looking roast chicken, Marcie! I make a roast chicken in my cast iron every couple of weeks, but I’ve never tried the spatchcock method. I’ll have to do that next!
Thank you Katherine! The spatchcock chicken is life changing, I promise. 🙂
I’ve never heard the term spatchcock, but I’ve heard butterflied. Seems like a great way to cook a whole chicken. And now that I’ve looked at your tutorial, I think I could totally handle it! Thanks for the tips!
Isn’t it a funny term? It always gets a reaction. 🙂 Thanks Leanne and I hope you get to try it!
Marcie, I’ve got my chicken all spatchcocked and ready to go for tonight’s dinner! It’s been on my mind since I saw it on your Instagram feed 🙂 Your roasted vegetables look amazing as well!
I’ve never heard of spatchcock before. It’s a fun sounding name though. My grandmother (of Scottish orgin) used to make chicken paprikash and call it poppycock chicken. I always thought she made it up, but now I’m wondering if there’s any relation to the names there.
Yay — I hope you love it Kelly! I’ve never heard the term poppycock but I bet it does have a relation to spatchcock. You learn something new every day! 🙂
I’ve made this twice and both times the thighs were done but the breast wasn’t cooked to temp yet. Also, the skin didn’t brown well. I had a 5lb bird and it cooked for 80 minutes at 400 degrees. Prior to cooking I preheated the pan and left the bird out for an hour before cooking.
I’m surprised as this recipe has always had flawless results with the breast and thighs being done around the same time. I would suggest trying a smaller chicken (around 4 lbs. tops) and see if that helps. Did you use oil on the skin? If the skin doesn’t get crisp enough, you can always turn on the broiler and broil it just until crisp.
Thank you Marcie! This will be dinner tonight. Bought whole chicken from Costco yesterday. Hubby loves chicken and he can eat it everyday 😂. Â
I hope you enjoyed it! 🙂