Spatchcock Chicken is the best way to roast or grill a whole chicken because this method gives you chicken that is evenly cooked inside and out. By using this cooking method, you get flavorful crispy skin with juicy, tender meat on the inside.
If you love cooking a whole chicken, check out my Roast Chicken and Chicken Fricassee.
Table of Contents
Truly, one of the best ways to make delicious, flavorful, and juicy chicken! This show stopping chicken dinner is quite simple to whip up as well. As simple as it may be, it’s also a beautiful centerpiece to the dinner table when entertaining for guests or just for a weeknight family dinner.
Great aspect of preparing a spatchcock chicken is how customizable it is in both preparation and flavor profiles! You can roast it in the oven, grill it, or smoke it.
Depending on your tastes, you can also alter the ingredients I have listed in my wet rub to better suit your palate. However, if I do say so myself, my wet rub recipe is loaded with flavor and always yields the most mouthwatering chicken that’s full of flavor!
What is a Spatchcock Chicken?
To put it simply, a “spatchcock” chicken is basically a butterflied chicken. To spatchcock the chicken means to remove the back bone and butterfly it out.
This technique helps the chicken cook evenly throughout, get crispier skin, and the cooking time is also very short. The term “spatchcock” is told to be from the 17th centrally and came from the saying “spatching the cock,” which means to open the bird carcass and cook it.
While this unique method of cooking a whole chicken may seem cumbersome, it’s actually quite simple! This recipe takes about an hour from start to finish, and only 15 minutes of that time is spent in preparation. The rest of the 45 minutes is spent cooking the bird.
Ingredient Notes
Whole Chicken – get the chicken that is between 4 and 6 lbs. and make sure it is completely thawed before starting to cook.
Oil – olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil are all acceptable to use in this recipe.
Brown Sugar – light or dark brown sugar will work.
Seasoning – salt, black pepper, paprika, ground mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, and chili powder.
Butter – Use unsalted butter because seasoning mix already has salt. Make sure that it’s softened to room temperature prior to using.
Small Potatoes – If you’d like, you can also mix in carrots or other root vegetables with the potatoes.
Seasoning for potatoes – olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
How to Spatchcock a Chicken
Remove the whole chicken from the packaging and remove any giblets. (Save the giblets and the back bone for homemade chicken stock, if you’d like.)
Next, cut off the excess fat that is often found at the bottom of the chicken, near the tail. Place the chicken breast down on a large cutting board. All you need is kitchen shears to remove the backbone.
Using the kitchen shears, cut along the spine on one side from top to bottom (1) and then on the other side of the backbone (2).
Flip the chicken breast side up. Using the bottom part of the palm of your hand, put a lot of pressure in the center, right between the two breasts (3). Push down to flatten the breast plate until you hear crack. The chicken is now ready for a rub down and cooking (4)! It’s really that easy.
How to Cook Spatchcock Chicken in the Oven
Combine all ingredients for the seasoning mix together in a small bowl and mix it well. Set aside a little bit to be added to butter and the rest, mix with oil.
First, you’ll want to mix the butter mixture and then spread it evenly in between the chicken breast and the skin (5). To do that, gently slide your fingers between the breast meat and skin and then stuff some butter in there.
Spread the wet rub all over the chicken evenly. You’ll want to estimate about 1/3 of it to go on the under side and about 2/3 to go over the skin side.
Combine potatoes with oil and seasoning as well, in a large mixing bowl, and mix to coat them all evenly (6).
Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet, skin side up, and surround it with potatoes (7).
In the oven, spatchcock chicken will need about 40-45 minutes, give or take 5 minutes depending on the size of the chicken (8). Cook the chicken at 425°F and use a meat thermometer to double check it for doneness. The chicken should be cooked to 165°F internally, and remember to check the temperature in the center of the thickest part, not touching the bone.
How to Grill a Spatchcock Chicken
Of course, this is one of my favorite ways to cook spatchcock chicken, but you have to be careful with the seasoning. Don’t use sugar when grilling chicken or it will burn.
Grill the spatchcock chicken over indirect heat for 35-40 minutes, until about 160°F, and then move it over direct heat for a couple of minutes on each side to finish cooking and crisp up.
If you want more details and tips for grilled spatchcock chicken, make sure to check out my grilling site!
Serving Suggestions
I love to cook whole small potatoes right with the chicken because potatoes cooked in the chicken juices are absolutely heavenly!
My family like a mix of red and gold potatoes, but if it was up to me, it would all be gold. Gold potatoes come out so soft and tender!
You can also throw in other root vegetables with the potatoes. Carrots, winter squashes, and other dense and hearty vegetables will take about the same time to cook.
If you want to add green beans and asparagus, do it during the last 20 minutes of cooking time. Same would be for mushrooms, summer squash, and zucchini.
If you’re not cooking vegetables at the same time, you can always serve spatchcock chicken with grilled vegetables or grilled corn on the cob. Some other great and comforting side dishes are dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, creamy Brussels sprouts, creamed spinach, or parmesan mushroom orzo.
Recipe FAQs
When it comes to meats, don’t try to guess if the meat is done just by the cooking time. Cook time always varies due to type of meat, size, brand, and even different ovens! It’s always best to use a meat thermometer!
It’s the most certain way to make sure the meat is fully cooked. Remember to inserted the probe into the thickest part of the meat, fully cooked chicken that’s safe to eat should be 165°F.
All you need is kitchen shears and a large plastic cutting board. You should use a plastic cutting board when working with raw meats, never a wooden one.
While the chicken (and other meats) are cooking, the muscle tissue condenses and tightens, holding on to the juices. Once chicken is done cooking, the muscle tissue is still condensed and the juices are concentrated in areas rather than spread throughout the piece. While the meat is resting, the muscle tissue relaxes and lets the juices spread throughout the meat evenly. Letting it rest helps make the chicken more tender and juicy.
More Chicken Recipes To Try
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Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
Wet Rub:
- 1/4 cup olive oil, avocado oil, canola, or vegetables oil
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika sweet or smoked
- 1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder or another chili powder
Butter rub:
- 2 tbsp butter softened
- 2 tsp seasoning mix from above
Potatoes:
- 2-3 lbs small potatoes can mix with carrots or other root vegetables
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tsp coarse kosher salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
Before preparing the chicken:
- Pull the butter out about 30 minutes before starting to cook to soften it.
- Combine all the seasoning (not the oil) in a small mixing bowl and mix well. Take out 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and add it to butter. Thoroughly combine softened butter and seasoning. Mix the rest of the seasoning with oil for the wet rub. Set both aside.
To spatchcock the chicken:
- Remove the whole chicken from the packaging and remove any giblets. (Save giblets and then the back bone for homemade chicken stock.) Cut off excess fat that is often found at the bottom of the chicken, neat the tail.
- Place chicken breast down on a large cutting board. All you need is kitchen shears to remove the backbone. Using the kitchen shears, cut along the spine on one side from top to bottom and then on the other side of the backbone.
- Flip the chicken beast side up. Using the bottom part of the palm of your hand, put a lot of pressure in the center, right between the two breasts. Push down to flatten the breast plate until the breast plate cracks under the pressure and chicken evens out.
Cooking the chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Carefully, separate the skin from the beast meat. Flatten pieces of seasoned butter and slide it on the breast under the skin. Try to even it out as much as you can.
- Rub outside of the entire chicken with the wet rub. Try to spread about 2/3 of the wet rub on the skin side and about 1/3 of the wet rub.
- Cover a rimmed backing sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up and lightly grease the foil. Place chicken beast side up onto the aluminum foil.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix potatoes with oil and seasoning and spread it all around the chicken.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. (You can test internal temperature of the chicken part of the breast using a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked to 165°.)
- Let chicken rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Storing: make sure to store spatchcock chicken in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it will last 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing: you can easily freeze the whole leftover chicken or separate the meat from the bone and freeze just the meat. Make sure to freeze it in an air-tight freezer bag. Get as much air out as you can, seal, and label. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: With bone-in recipes like this one, I recommend reheating either in the oven or air fryer as opposed to the microwave. Both options will help maintain that crispy skin. In the air fryer, I’d suggest breaking down the leftovers into breast, thighs, and drumsticks and reheating your leftovers at 360°F for about 4-5 minutes, but it also depends on size of the pieces. You may need a few more minutes if they’re very big. In the oven, I’d suggest 350°F for about 10 minutes, until heated through.
Diana says
Spatchcock chicken made with this recipe is now part of the regular rotation at our house. We don’t make the potatoes, just the chicken, it’s the best chicken I’ve ever eaten. Moist, flavorful, reliable – checks all the boxes. The roasting juices make a fabulous sauce if you are so inclined. My husband, who is a grilling fanatic, won’t make grilled chicken anymore because he says this chicken is so much better!
LyubaB says
I love hearing that! I am so glad you like the chicken so much!
Nandini says
Hello, for ground mustard should I just grind yellow or black mustard seeds? Or are you talking about ground mustard paste?
LyubaB says
Hi, this recipe doesn’t use paste you could ground your own mustard seeds or get them preground in the spice aisle of your local grocery store. Hope this helps and you like the recipe.
Carol Smith says
My husband and I really enjoy the spachtcock (probably mutilated that word ha). I made so-called potatoes to go with and green beans. It was a wonderful Easter dinner. Thank you.
LyubaB says
It isn’t the easiest word to say 😉 Sounds delicious! I am so glad you liked the chicken!
Anita Segura says
Delicious,! Whole family loved it.
LyubaB says
I am so happy to hear that! 🙂
Rhonda Johnson says
Made this last night and it was very good. My chicken looked exactly like the picture and it was moist and delicious
Will definitely make this again
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Rhonda!
Philip King says
Amazing and easy recipe! thank you for sharing.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Philip! So glad you liked it!
Amelia says
Mouthwatering recipe 🙂 going to save this recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Amelia! I hope you enjoy it!