Easy Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
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Easy Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is a simple guide on how to prep and roast spatchcock chicken in the oven. It’s perfect every time!
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 roasted chicken dinner does it?
Normally roasted chicken might be reserved for a leisurely Sunday dinner, but this Easy Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is something I make regularly during the week.
Talk about a special weeknight dinner!
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
The reason that this roast spatchcock chicken recipe is so doable during the week is because the prep time is minimal and it’s all made in one pot.
Winner winner, chicken dinner!
Spatchcocking or butterflying a chicken may seem a bit daunting, but I promise it only takes a pair of reasonably sharp kitchen shears and 5 minutes or less.
You’ve got this. 🙂
Why do they call it Spatchcock?
The origin of the word spatchcock is up for debate, but from what I’ve read it may be an Irish term. The dictionary definition says that the word simply means to split open a game bird for grilling.
Splitting open a bird is done by removing the backbone so that it lays flat, which is also known as butterflying.
Why don’t we just call it butterflied chicken then? Because that’s just not as fun. 🙂
How to spatchcock a chicken
As I mentioned earlier, prepping spatchcock chicken is very easy process. You can always ask the butcher to do it for you if you’re not comfortable with it.
To start, place the chicken breast side down with the legs toward you. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut alongside the backbone on both sides.
Reserve the backbone for stock! I love freezing them until I’m ready to make a batch of my Slow Cooker Homemade Chicken Stock.
Once the backbone has been removed, turn the chicken over. Place your hands on the breastbone and apply pressure to flatten.
See my tutorial How to Spatchcock a Chicken and Why You Should Do It for more info!
Why would you spatchcock a chicken?
There are two main benefits of spatchcock chicken. First, the cooking time is significantly quicker, which makes this a great method for a weeknight meal.
Second, the chicken cooks much more evenly when spatchcocked, resulting in a juicier bird and nice, even golden brown skin.
How to make Easy Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
The seasoning for this spatchcock chicken recipe is simply smoked paprika, salt and pepper combined with olive oil. I love the simplicity of it — it really allows the roasted chicken flavor to shine.
Loosen the skin over the breast meat and rub the seasoning mixture under the skin over the breast meat, and 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.
Remove from heat, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Recipe Tips/Substitutions
A 3-4 lb. chicken works perfectly in this 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.
You can use your favorite potatoes or vegetables in this recipe.
Change this up by trying different spice rubs, herbs, garlic and citrus!
More roasted chicken recipes you’ll love:
Mediterranean Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Sheet Pan Lemon Thyme Chicken with Potatoes and Green Beans
Easy Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Easy Roasted Spatchcock Chicken is a simple guide on how to prep and roast spatchcock chicken in the oven. It's perfect every time!
Ingredients
- (1) 3.5 lb. 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 or 2 teaspoons dried
Instructions
- Spatchcock the chicken as per instructions in my tutorial How to Spatchcock a Chicken and Why You Should Do It. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself, just ask your butcher!
- 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.
- Toss the potatoes, carrots, parsnips and fennel with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken in a large cast iron skillet (I use this one) or a rimmed baking sheet. Place the potatoes and vegetables 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
- A 3-4 lb. chicken works perfectly in this 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.
- You can use your favorite potatoes or vegetables in this recipe.
- Change this up by trying different spice rubs, herbs, garlic and citrus!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 600Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 448mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 56g
Nutrition information is meant to be an estimate only. The numbers will vary based on the weight of your chicken, the quantity consumed and substitutions that are made.
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.