Juicy meat, crispy skin, and delicious tender vegetables basting in the drippings. This roasted spatchcocked chicken has it all going on! Perfect for Sunday dinner, holidays (like Christmas or Easter), or any time you want an AMAZING chicken dinner.
Hello, all!
Right now I am hurtling towards Christmas and New Years and watching the snow come down (early storm this year!) and thinking about awesome holiday foods I can make for the people I love.
I’ve shared a few so far this year and I have more to come! Today is all about whole roasted chicken, which is something I love to make on Sunday and holiday dinners but haven’t written a post about until now.
What’s to Love About This Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken?
- Simple to prepare! You need to cut out the backbone and flatten the chicken. Then rub and into the oven to roast. Does it get much easier than that? I don’t think so! No brining. No marinating. You can have it prepped in the amount of time it takes the oven to heat up.
- Juicy meat! Since you are spatchcocking (AKA butterflying) the chicken, the breast meat stays in the middle of the oven where it’s a little cooler and the legs go on the outside where it’s a little warmer. This keeps the breast meat from getting overcooked before the legs are done.
- Delicious roasted vegetables! Putting the vegetables under the chicken gives them the benefit of the drippings and all that wonderful flavor while they are also roasting and getting all caramelized.
What do you need?
- Chicken – A whole chicken about 3 1/2 – 4 lbs. You can use a larger or smaller chicken, but note that the cooking time will change.
- Rub – Rub the chicken with a mix of fresh sage, salt, pepper, and baking powder.
- Root Vegetables – I used a mix of sweet potatoes, carrots, and delicata squash (no peeling needed!), but you can mix it up with other winter squashes, potatoes, parsnips, or turnips. Or move a little away from root vegetables and add broccoli or cauliflower.
Why baking powder? Baking powder lowers the pH of the skin and creates bubbles of carbon dioxide which together gives you the crispiest skin.
How do you make roasted spatchcocked chicken?
To make roasted spatchcocked chicken first butterfly the chicken by cutting out the backbone and flattening the chicken. Then rub the chicken and put it in the oven to roast. After 15 minutes add the root vegetables and roast until the chicken is cooked.
First up – spatchcocking
Which is a weird word, but makes a great roast chicken! 😉
To spatchcock you are going to find the backbone of the chicken and then cut along it on either side with some kitchen shears. (Not regular scissors! They are not strong enough for the task!) Once you’ve cut out the backbone, flatten the chicken. And you’re done. You have spatchcocked, congratulations.
Need a visual? This video shows quite clearly what you need to do.
Now a Rub
Mix together chopped sage, kosher salt, pepper, and baking powder. Noting that if you use table salt here this chicken is going to be Way Too Salty! Stick with kosher salt please.
Drizzle the chicken with olive oil (helps the rub stick and good for crisping the skin) and rub the rub right in, making sure you get it over as much of the skin as possible.
Roast the chicken and veggies
To start you are going to roast the chicken alone for a while (about 15 minutes) since the chicken takes longer than the veggies. So put it in your preheated oven and let it roast.
While the chicken starts, cut up the veggies and toss them with some salt and a little olive oil.
Then take out the chicken and put the veggies underneath. (Make sure you have a landing spot for the roasting rack! I use a baking sheet.) Spread them out and back into the oven until everything is done.
What about gravy?
Sorry, no gravy since your drippings are occupied. However I do have a few tasty sauces listed in the recipe, so check that out.
More Poultry for Sunday and Holiday Dinners
If you try my recipe for Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
You can connect with me by subscribing to my emails (see the form in the sidebar or below the recipe card), liking my FACEBOOK page, or by following me on PINTEREST.
– Happy Roasting, Annemarie
Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken with Root Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
Rub for Chicken
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Root Vegetables
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- 4 medium carrots, cut into sticks
- 2 cups chopped winter squash, such as (peeled) butternut or delicata
- 6 medium cloves garlic, left whole
- 3-4 sprigs fresh herbs, like thyme, rosemary, and sage
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
Heat the Oven
- Place oven rack in the upper middle position. Heat oven to 500F.
Prepare the Chicken
- Place the chicken spine side up (and breast side down) on a cutting board. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut along each side on the spine and remove it.
- Flatten the chicken either by cutting the chicken just a little at the end of the breastbone or by turning it over and flattening it down by pressing firmly in the center of the chicken.
- In a small bowl mix together the sage, salt, pepper, and baking powder.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and then sprinkle the chicken with the rub, using your hands to spread the rub evenly over the skin.
Roast the Chicken
- Place the chicken on a roasting rack set over a roasting pan or deep sheet pan. Arrange the chicken so that the breast is in the middle of the roasting rack and the legs are near the edge.
- Put the chicken in the oven and reduce the heat to 450F.
- Roast the chicken for 15 minutes.
Add the Vegetables
- While the chicken is roasting peel and slice the vegetables. Then toss them with olive oil and kosher salt.
- At the 15 minute mark, take the chicken out of the oven and move the roasting rack off of the pan. Add the vegetables to the pan and spread them out. Scatter the sprigs of herbs about.
- Replace the chicken over the top and put everything in the oven. Roast for 20-30 minutes more, or until the breast meat is 150F and the thighs are 175F.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Sprinkle the parsley over the roasted vegetables and transfer them to a serving bowl.
Notes
- Spatchcocking the Chicken: Here is a video I like showing how to spatchcock (or butterfly) a chicken.
- Vegetables: You can switch up the types of vegetables used in the recipe. Other choices include potatoes (instead of or in addition to sweet potatoes), parsnips, broccoli, cauliflower, and turnips. You want 6-8 cups of total vegetables. Just be sure to pick ones which are fine with being cooked a little longer (as in no asparagus since it gets mushy).
- Chicken: I use a chicken which is about 3 1/2 - 4 lbs. A larger chicken will take longer so keep that in mind when adding the vegetables. (For instance 5 - 5 1/2 lb chicken will take 50-55 minutes so add the veggies at the 25 minute mark.)
- Sauce: Since the drippings are being used to flavor the vegetables you can't make a gravy with this recipe. Instead I like to make a separate sauce. Some options include Yogurt Sriracha Sauce (in my sheet pan chicken recipe), Blue Cheese Dressing, or Spicy Green Goddess Dressing.
Sean@Diversivore says
I love a good roast chicken, and I keep meaning to try spatchcocking. I’ve never really thought of it in terms of it being a nice simple meal though, and with the roasted veggies and all of the benefits that you get from having the breast meat in the middle, it really is a great way to put a nice meal on the table without much of a fuss, Love the nice sage-based rub too – so simple, and so perfect with chicken. Cheers!
justalittlebitofbacon says
It is really much simpler than you would think! This chicken is basically a one pot meal though it seems fancy.
Lisa says
To me, there is nothing more homey than a good roast chicken and this one is positively gorgeous! Love that spatchcocking technique — it looks like it would actually be easier to carve that way too. Tossing in those vegetables to roast and caramelize rounds out a perfect family dinner. I’m definitely trying this recipe!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I agree! Roast chicken is very comforting. And I hope you try it!
Gloria says
This is such a great way to prepare chicken. The presentation is awesome. Perfect to take to the table. It always sounds intimidating, but I have done it and it is pretty simple. We even have some grocery stores that have it done already.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Oooh, good idea. If spatchcocking is a bit much, I’m sure the butcher would do it for you at the market.
Sarah says
I keep wanting to try spatchcocking but it sounded intimidating! This looks pretty simple though, so I think I can pull it off. I’ll have to try it with some of your sauce ideas!! It sounds delicious 😁
justalittlebitofbacon says
You definitely can do it! You just need a good pair of kitchen shears and few minutes. I hope you try it!