Roasting season is just around the corner and this spicy roasted spatchcock chicken will make the process utterly fun and hassle-free! Not sure about spatchcock chicken? Read on to discover the easiest way of roasting a whole chicken!
Whole roast chicken is one our favorite fancy dishes and what’s best time than this to savor one! But this time I decided to try something new & trendy; hence this gorgeous spatchcock chicken materialized and I can’t thank myself enough for giving it a shot!
Spatchcock chicken is currently a rage all over the internet and people are loving it for valid reasons!
Even if you are too fond of traditional whole roast chicken, I would still urge you to try your hands on this trendy roasted spatchcock chicken; trust me you won’t regret!
Spatchcocking is a technique of preparing your whole chicken for quicker as well as even roasting in oven; in fact, you can roast a spatchcock chicken even on a hectic weekday!
I am not joking! Since a spatchcock chicken lays on the tray in an even layer, it cuts down the roasting time almost by half!
Don’t get intimidated by the term spatchcock chicken! It is just a fancy name and the technique is really easy.
It may require couple of practices, but if you are already habituated in cutting up whole chicken just like me, then you can do a perfect spatchcock chicken from the very first time itself!
In a nutshell, spatchcocking a chicken essentially means removing the spine of the chicken so that it can be flattened to make an almost uniform thickness.
The must-have equipment for making a perfect spatchcock chicken is a sharp pair of kitchen shears with a good-grip handle.
If you don’t have a good quality sharp meat scissor, I would suggest not to try this with a knife as it would not work and you will be left disappointed.
Just get your hands on a good pair of scissors and you will become a pro in spatchcock chicken within no time!
Once you are all geared up with your tools, get your washed and pat dried whole chicken on a solid cutting board. It is important to ensure that your chicken is as dry as possible.
Now lay the chicken on your board keeping breast side down and neck facing towards you. Now hold the chicken tightly with one hand and start cutting the spine using the shears from one side of the neck.
Try to be as much close to spine as possible while separating it from the rib and make sure that the bird is hold tightly on the board.
Continue to cut along the spine on one side for about half of the length; then repeat on the other side of the spine.
Hold the cut portion of the spine up for control and continue cutting on both sides to remove it completely. Do not discard the spine; reserve it for homemade chicken stock.
Your primary task of spatchcocking a chicken is done and you must rejoice now! The remaining steps are as easy as child’s play.
You just have to flip the chicken over and bring the breast side up. Then press the breastbone with the heel of your hand until it breaks so that the bird is all one thickness.
Pull the chicken legs to face outward on both sides as shown in the pictures here.
Once all this is done, the chicken will lay flat on the board with almost uniform thickness all over. Congratulations!
You just rewarded yourself with the perfect spatchcock chicken! Finally comes the seasoning part which depends entirely on your preferences.
You can make an herb-infused buttery roast chicken or a spicy roasted spatchcock chicken with a mild hint of garlic and Italian seasoning which is exactly what I did today!
The seasoning is prepared in no-time and that’s what makes it a weeknight-friendly meal.
Coat the spatchcock chicken thoroughly with the seasoning on both sides and roast it in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked through!
By the way, don’t forget the potatoes! Roast chicken without potatoes is nothing short of a crime! Enjoy!
More roast chicken recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Thigh Spiced Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken
- Portuguese Inspired Roast Chicken
- Garlic and Paprika Roast Chicken
- Whole chicken – 1, skin-on and at room temperature
- Baby potatoes – 500 gms, skin-on, thoroughly washed & dried
- Garlic powder – ½ tbsp
- Onion powder – ½ tbsp
- Black pepper – 1 tsp
- Garlic salt – 1 tbsp (if you don’t have garlic salt, increase garlic powder to 1 tbsp and add salt to taste)
- Italian seasoning – 1 & ½ tbsp
- Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
- Garlic – 10 cloves
- Olive oil – ½ cup
- The most important step of this recipe is how to spatchcock the chicken. You will need a very good pair of chicken shears for this as knife won’t work. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place breast-side down on a large cutting board keeping the neck facing towards you.
- Now holding the neck in one hand, cut along one side of the chicken spine using a sharp kitchen shears, separating it from the ribs. Cut as much close to the spine as possible so that no excess meat is removed.
- Continue to cut along the spine on one side for about half of the length, then repeat on the other side of the spine. Hold the cut portion of the spine up for control and continue cutting on both sides to remove it completely. Do not discard the spine; reserve it for homemade chicken stock.
- Now flip the chicken over so that the breasts face upward. Flatten the breastbone with the heel of your hand so that the meat is all one thickness and the chicken legs face outward on both sides. The legs and breasts should be laying completely flat.
- In a bowl, mix together all the seasoning ingredients along with olive oil. Grate the garlic cloves in it. I like garlicky flavor in my chicken; you can reduce the amount of garlic if you don’t like garlic that much. Whisk this spicy marinade well to make a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
- Cut each potato into half and take in a bowl. Spoon about two tablespoons of the spicy mixture over the potatoes and give a good mix.
- Now massage the spatchcock chicken with the remaining marinade really well making sure the spices reach under the skin as well. Do it on both sides of the bird. If some of the marinade is left in the bowl, reserve it for basting the chicken in between the roasting process.
- Preheat your oven to 220 C / 425 F and place the rack at the center of the oven. Place the marinated spatchcock chicken on a roasting tray lined with aluminum foil. Spread the potatoes around the chicken in a single layer.
- Bake the chicken in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the instant read thermometer reads 160 F when inserted into thickest part of chicken legs. Baste the chicken twice with left-over marinade while roasting after every 15 minutes.
- Once the chicken is completely cooked and the skin turns golden brown & crispy, remove it from oven and let it rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board before serving. Enjoy!
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