Oven Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
This oven-roasted spatchcock chicken is a delightful and effortless way to savor a classic roast chicken dinner any day of the week! With just a trusty cast iron skillet, a selection of simple pantry spices, and a cooking time of only one hour, you can create a mouthwatering meal that’s sure to impress.
The technique of spatchcocking allows the chicken to cook evenly and quickly, resulting in succulent, tender meat with perfectly crispy skin. Whether you’re looking for a comforting weeknight meal or planning a special occasion feast, this roasted spatchcock chicken is the ideal centerpiece, bringing warmth and flavor to your table.
**Spatchcocking Chicken: A Flavorful Roast Delight**
Spatchcocking, also known as butterflying, is a culinary technique that transforms the way you roast a whole chicken. By meticulously removing the backbone and gently breaking the breastbone, you allow the chicken to lie flat. This not only enhances cooking efficiency but also ensures that every part of the bird receives heat.
**Oven-Roasted Spatchcock Chicken (Skillet Recipe) **
Why You’ll Adore This Recipe
**Bursting with Flavor: ** This oven-roasted spatchcock chicken is anything but ordinary. With each bite, you’ll experience the rich depths of flavor infused into the chicken through a delightful seasoning rub. As it roasts, the seasoning melds beautifully into both the skin and the meat, creating a symphony of taste that will tantalize your palate.
**Convenient One-Pan Wonder: ** Using a cast iron skillet makes this recipe a breeze. The skillet’s generous surface area not only allows for even cooking and crisping of the chicken but also captures all the savory juices that escape during the roasting process. Forget about cumbersome roasting racks; this method keeps everything simplified, while the cast iron retains heat exceptionally well, speeding up the cooking time.
**Irresistibly Crispy Skin: ** One of the standout features of this recipe is the skin—always crispy and incredibly flavorful. A perfect balance of extra virgin olive oil and a well-crafted spice rub works its magic, producing skin that crackles with each bite, making the chicken not just a meal but a culinary delight.
**Choosing the Perfect Chicken: ** When selecting your whole chicken, consider the number of guests you plan to serve. An average four-pound chicken is ideal for feeding a family of four, ensuring everyone enjoys generous portions. If you’re entertaining a larger crowd, opt for a larger bird, and you can easily slice the breast meat into portions for your guests, making serving effortless.
With this oven-roasted spatchcock chicken, you can effortlessly bring a mouthwatering feast to your table any night of the week, perfect for both casual dinners and special celebrations!
Ingredients:
Whole Chicken you will need 3-5 pounds bird with giblets removed from the cavity.
Butter – use unsalted softened butter so it’s easier to combine.
Olive Oil – you can also replace it with avocado oil because it has a higher smoking point.
Vidalia onions, lemon & garlic Rosemary, thyme, white onion: all these ingredients go into the skillet with the chicken and soften as the chicken roasts. They add extra flavor to the chicken and become soft and sweet enough to eat. You do not need to peel the aromatics.
Spice rub: For the homemade chicken spice rub, you will need garlic and onion powder, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and mustard powder, Poultry seasoning, black pepper. Lawry’s seasoning salt
4 lb. Whole chicken
¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 heads Garlic – halved 1 cup of Garlic Cloves
2 Vidalia onions – quartered
2 Lemons – quartered
4 springs Fresh thyme
1 stick of butter
Salt
Pepper
Spice Rub Measurement
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
1 tablespoon Onion powder
1 tablespoon Brown sugar
2 teaspoons Smoked paprika
½ teaspoon Ground mustard
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 Teaspoon Poultry seasoning
2 Teaspoon Lawry’s Season Salt
Pat the chicken dry: Pat the surface of the chicken skin dry with paper towels.
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Oil your Skillet with olive oil
Mix the Spice Rub
In a small mixing bowl with a measuring spoon Add the spice rub ingredients into a small mixing bowl with one stick of butter. Mix until all the spices are combined.
Spatchcock the chicken
Using kitchen shears, cut two slits along the backbone of the chicken to remove it.
Once removed, flip the chicken over and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten the chicken.
Add the Vegetable to the Skillet
Add your Garlic Cloves to the Skillet
Arrange the lemon, onion, garlic, and thyme springs into the skillet
Season the Chicken
Add the spice rub on the chicken skin and rub it into the olive oil until the skin is completely coated with the seasoning rub.
Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil and season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Transfer the spatchcocked chicken to a cast iron skillet.
Roast the Chicken
Roast the chicken for approximately 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer.
Checking for doneness: A meat thermometer is always the best way to check if your chicken is cooked. You can also cut a small slit between the chicken leg and breast and see if the juices run clear. Pink juices mean the chicken is still undercooked.
Baste occasionally: You can spoon the juices from the pan over the chicken skin occasionally to keep the skin moist and to keep the spices from burning too quickly
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and cover it with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving it.
Expert Tips:
Tuck the wings: To prevent the wing tips from burning, tuck the wings’ ends under the body.
Crispy skin: If the chicken skin gets dark too quickly, you can loosely cover the chicken with foil until the chicken is almost cooked, then finish the chicken uncooked.
**Make Ahead & Storage Options**
For added convenience, you can prepare the chicken spice rub in advance. Simply mix the spices together and store them in a sealed jar; this mixture will maintain its flavor for up to three months. For the best results, it’s recommended to roast the chicken on the same day that you plan to enjoy your meal, ensuring maximum freshness and taste.
If you find yourself with leftover chicken, don’t worry! It can be safely stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. To reheat the chicken and keep it juicy, consider using either the oven or an air fryer. Wrapping the chicken in aluminum foil before reheating will help lock in moisture, preventing it from drying out and allowing you to savor each delicious bite.
?Before You Get Started
Be sure to read the recipe notes for helpful tips to make the best recipe every time!
Equipment
Cast Iron Pre Seasoned Skillet
Oven Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 lb. Whole chicken
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 heads Garlic – halved 1 cup of Garlic Cloves
- 2 Vidalia onions – quartered
- 2 Lemons – quartered
- 4 springs Fresh thyme
- 1 stick of butter
- Salt
- Pepper
- Spice Rub Measurement
- 1 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon Ground mustard
- 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 Teaspoon Poultry seasoning
- 2 Teaspoon Lawry’s Season Salt
- Pat the chicken dry: Pat the surface of the chicken skin dry with paper towels.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Oil your Skillet with olive oil
Instructions
- Spatchcock the chicken
- Using kitchen shears, cut two slits along the backbone of the chicken to remove it.
- Once removed, flip the chicken over and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten the chicken.
- Add the Vegetable to the Skillet
- Add your Garlic Cloves to the Skillet
- Arrange the lemon, onion, garlic, and thyme springs into the skillet
- Season the Chicken
- Add the spice rub on the chicken skin and rub it into the olive oil until the skin is completely coated with the seasoning rub.
- Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil and season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Transfer the spatchcocked chicken to a cast iron skillet.
- Roast the Chicken
- Roast the chicken for approximately 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer.
- Checking for doneness: A meat thermometer is always the best way to check if your chicken is cooked. You can also cut a small slit between the chicken leg and breast and see if the juices run clear. Pink juices mean the chicken is still undercooked.
- Baste occasionally: You can spoon the juices from the pan over the chicken skin occasionally to keep the skin moist and to keep the spices from burning too quickly
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and cover it with foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving it.
- Expert Tips:
- Tuck the wings: To prevent the wing tips from burning, tuck the wings’ ends under the body.
- Crispy skin: If the chicken skin gets dark too quickly, you can loosely cover the chicken with foil until the chicken is almost cooked, then finish the chicken uncooked.
- **Make Ahead & Storage Options**
- For added convenience, you can prepare the chicken spice rub in advance. Simply mix the spices together and store them in a sealed jar; this mixture will maintain its flavor for up to three months. For the best results, it’s recommended to roast the chicken on the same day that you plan to enjoy your meal, ensuring maximum freshness and taste.
- If you find yourself with leftover chicken, don’t worry! It can be safely stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. To reheat the chicken and keep it juicy, consider using either the oven or an air fryer. Wrapping the chicken in aluminum foil before reheating will help lock in moisture, preventing it from drying out and allowing you to savor each delicious bite.
