Step-by-step Spatchcock Chicken Sunday Supper

Here's a step-by-step recipe to make spatchcock chicken sunday supper. This is Mark’s and my favorite way to roast or grill poultry.  Paired with pan-seared asparagus with crispy garlic and caramelized lemon completes the dish.

Other than being a humorous word to say out loud, to spatchcock a chicken, or butterfly it, is to remove the backbone, allowing it completely opened out and flattened. This technique offers so many wins.

• No marinating or lengthy prep
• Cooking time is halved
• The breast sits on the same level as the legs so it cooks more evenly resulting in a juicy, moist and flavorful chicken.

Perfect for summer grilling and for year-round oven roasting.

Ingredients For Spatchcock Chicken Recipe:

For this recipe, you will need a 3 to 3 ½ lb whole chicken.   Letting the raw chicken come to room temperature – makes a big difference!

Here’s the basic logic: We are trying to raise inside temperature of the chicken to 160°F.  The center will get there faster if it starts at a higher temperature. If a tempered, i.e., room temperature, chicken is roasting in a 475°F oven, the thickest part of the breast will hit 160°F after the meat closer to the surface. 

This is why the breast meat has a greater chance to overcook and dry out. This means more even cooking all the way through, and less time for the meat to lose moisture while cooking, making it juicier.

Just take the chicken out of the fridge and let it start tempering in whatever time you have.  30 minutes is ideal, but don’t sweat it if you don’t have that amount of time.  

While the raw chicken is tempering, consider making a spice rub for the chicken.  You could use your own spice combination for the rub, this one is incredible and makes every bite memorable.  

See the full print-friendly list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.

How Long Can Raw Chicken Sit Out

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, you can safely leave raw chicken out at room temperature for up to two hours or up to 60 minutes if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step-by-Step Spatchcock Chicken Sunday Supper Details

Most any butcher will be happy to spatchcock a whole chicken for you, saving you time and mess, but it’s easy enough to do yourself. Good kitchen tools and a little confidence are all you need.

See Mike from Cub Foods Minnetonka,  demonstrate how to spatchcock a chicken in the recipe video found below.

Here’s what you need: 

• Plastic (not wood) cutting board or parchment paper on counter top
• Kitchen shears
• Heavy chef’s knife

Here’s how to do it:

1. Cut the backbone out of the chicken. Sit the chicken breast-side down with the wings/ neck facing toward you. Angle kitchen shears along the spine on one side of the neck.  

Cut down, following the side of the spine all the way to the thigh and through the tail bone.  You’ll snip through the rib bones as you go, but it shouldn’t be too hard—a good, sharp pair of poultry shears or kitchen shears really help with this step. 

Repeat on the other side of the spine to remove spine. Get as close to the backbone as you can, and once you’ve removed it, don’t toss it! It’s great for making chicken stock.

** Open the rib cage and use a heavy chef’s knife to score down the sternum. This will help to pop out the breastbone or sternum and flatten the chicken.

2. Flatten the bird! Using both hands with the open cavity facing you, press down on each side firmly opening the cavity up.  Flip the chicken over with the breast side up. Using the palm of your hand, push firmly over the breast bone so the chicken lays completely flat.

Remember: the goal is to make the chicken as evenly-splayed out as possible for quick, even cooking.

P.S. Friendly reminder—don’t rinse your chicken! And wash your hands super thoroughly before and after handling raw chicken.

Spice Rub for Spatchcock Chicken Sunday Supper

Combine all the spices in a bowl, mash with a mortar and pestle, hand blender or countertop blender briefly until a loose paste consistency is achieved.

Spread the paste over both sides, including the cavity, of the chicken rubbing in, especially the skin side.

How to Roast or Grill Spatchcock Chicken

If using the oven:  Place the chicken (skin side up)on the sheet tray with a baking rack and place in the oven.  Bake uncovered at 425˚F for 45 minutes or until instant read thermometer registers 160˚F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Don’t over-bake or the breast will be dry. Keep in mind the temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees after it comes out of oven. Remove from oven and rest uncovered 10 minutes on a cutting board before serving.

If you’re grilling on a gas grill:  start with medium-high heat (temperature around 400º) for the first few minutes  of cooking, until the skin is a  crispy, golden-brown. Then turn down the heat to low.

If grilling over charcoal: begin cooking chicken over direct heat (warmest part of the grill) until the skin is a  crispy, golden-brown. After a few minutes, flip and move the chicken so that it finishes cooking over indirect heat.

Remember to check the internal temperature, so you know when to remove from the grill.  We are looking for the thermometer to register 160˚F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

The Perfect Side Dish In Under 10 Minutes: Pan-seared Asparagus with Garlic and Caramelized Lemon.

Start with the Garlic.  Place a paper towel-lined plate next to the stove.   In a medium or large skillet, combine the garlic and olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook, shaking the skillet often, until the garlic is very light golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat, using a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to the towel-lined plate, leaving the remaining oil in the skillet. Season the crispy garlic with a pinch of salt.

 Pan-sear the asparagus. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, with salt and pepper, and cook, shaking often, until bright green, crisp-tender and browned in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Slide onto a platter, including any oil in the skillet. Top with the crispy garlic and season again with salt and pepper.

Caramelize the Lemons. Halve a lemon and place the lemon cut side down in the skillet. Leaving the lemon undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until it begins to caramelize.  Remove from skillet and squeeze some lemon juice over the asparagus.  Place the caramelized lemon halves on the serving platter with the chicken and asparagus, allowing guests to add more lemon flavor to the chicken and asparagus.

Cooking For Two And Worried About Leftovers?

Leftover spatchcock chicken meat is perfect to add to a salad, pasta bake and even soup.  I will be sharing recipes that  “use up” spatchcock chicken during the week for easy weeknight dinners. 

The chicken meat is that good it will add a new dimension to a salad, pasta bake or even soup.

Spatchcock Chicken Sunday Supper…So simple --for a busy weeknight but it’s also a crowd-pleaser and perfect for company!