Simple Spatchco*ck Chicken Recipe (2024)

A simplespatchco*ck chicken recipe, seasoned with fresh thyme and lemon zest, along with helpfultips on how to roast a chicken. This easy staple dish makes a great addition to your weekly meal prep!

One of my intentions this year is to share more simple, technique-driven recipe posts. I’ve consistently received great feedback and encouragement (thank you!) on my cooking guidesand posts in the past, and I always look forward to sharing them with you.

My focus for this year is to continue to build and expand on that content, so that this space can be a comprehensive resource for all of your cooking needs and questions!

So today, we’re getting back to basics. A roast spatchco*ck chicken recipe that can easily be added to your weekly meal prep (or meal rotation). A few years ago, I published a step-by-step guide for how to spatchco*ck a chicken. Today, I’m sharing my go-to spatchco*ck chicken recipe, and diving deeper into this technique.

We’re keeping the flavors for this spatchco*ck chicken recipe very simple: kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, grated lemon zest, and fresh thyme. Classic flavors that go with just about everything.Once you get the hang of this method, you can use this recipe as a springboard for your own creations.

What Is Spatchco*ck Chicken?

Spatchco*ck chicken simply means to remove the spine or backbone of a whole chicken. This allows you to press down on the breast bone and flatten the chicken for cooking. It is sometimes referred to as butterflied chicken.I’ll go over why this method produces a crisper skin and more evenly cooked chicken below.

Spatchco*cking sounds and looks complicated, but is a very easy technique that can be accomplished in a matter of seconds with a pair of good quality kitchen scissors or shears (*I personally own and recommend these OXO shears, they are strong enough to be used on whole turkeys, tough flower stems, etc.–>affiliate link).

If you don’t own kitchen shears, an alternative is to buy your chicken whole from the meat counter and ask your butcher to do it for you.

What to do with the backbone of the chicken?

Don’t throw it out!

You can save the backbone for making a quick pan jus (sear the backbone – whole or chopped into smaller pieces – until dark golden brown on all sides in a stainless steel sauté pan with some olive oil, add finely chopped onion, celery, carrot, and herbs, cook until just beginning to caramelize, deglaze with wine and cook until dry, add stock and reduce, then strain).

Alternatively, you can freeze the backbone for a batch of homemade chicken stock.

Why Are Spatchco*cked Chickens Better for Roasting?

If you’re going to try your hand at spatchco*cking (which I promise, is very simple!), you probably are equally as interested inwhy you should cook chicken this way.

The trickiest part of roasting a chicken is timing. White meat (chicken breasts) cooks and dries out much faster than dark meat (chicken legs and thighs). Traditional trussing can provide some insurance by plumping up the chicken breasts, but doesn’t work very effectively.

Why Spatchco*cking Works:

• removing the backboneallows the chicken to lay flat duringroasting, whichexposes the legs and breasts of the chicken evenly, and allows the dark and white meat to cook quickly and evenly. The heat in most kitchen ovens is very inconsistent, and this method uses this weakness as an advantage.
• spatchco*cking exposesall of the skin, resulting in crisper, more evenly golden brown chicken skin(*note: seasoning and salting the chicken well in advance, and allowing it to sit uncovered in the fridge, also helps with this).
• since spatchco*cked poultry cooks faster (more surface area, more heat exposure), it allows you to roast at higher temperatures, which promotes even browning.
• spatchco*cked chickens are easier to season, as everything lays flat. There is no concern that the awkward crevices won’t be seasoned as evenly as the rest of the bird.
• no trussingrequiredandeasier to carve for serving.

Additional Tips for Roast Chicken Success:

• season the whole chicken liberally, on all sides, at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours before roasting. this method delivers a dramatic flavor difference (time allows the seasoning to fully permeate the meat), and refrigerating the bird, uncovered, allows the skin to dry out slightly and crisp up better during roasting.
• my spatchco*ck chicken recipe below usesDiamond Crystal kosher salt(affiliatelink), which sticks and dissolves easily. this kosher salt is significantly less dense (by volume) than other kosher salt brands and varieties; please adjust accordingly using this cooking salts guide.
• if you have a convection oven setting, use it! Convection cooking uses a fan to evenly distribute hot air throughout the oven and promotes more even browning, particularly for meat.
• remove the chicken from the refrigerator an hour before roasting; this allows the chicken to come closer to room temperature before it hits the hot oven air, which reduces cook time, ensures even cooking, and better browning of the skin.
• allow the chicken to rest forat least 15 to 20 minutes before carving. this allows the juices in the bird to distribute themselves more evenly throughout the meat, resulting in juicier meat.
• remove the legs (cutting the drumsticks from the thighs, if desired), then remove the entire chicken breasts and carve at a slight angleagainst the grain of the meat to create tender cuts of meat.
• mix up the seasoning with your favorite fresh herbs or spice blend

How to Serve Roast Spatchco*ck Chicken:

• serve as a main course with a side of vegetables (this green beans almondine recipe would be a great choice!) and simple salad
• prep and save the leftovers for main course salads (such as my guacamole greens salador Middle Eastern chicken salad), grain bowls, or add to soups just before serving!