• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Skip to the step to make the spice rub if you do not need to spatchcock the chicken

Spatchcock the Chicken

• Cut the backbone out of the chicken.  Sit the chicken breast-side down with the wings/ neck facing towards you. Angle kitchen shears or knife along the spine on one side of the neck.  Cutdown, 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 chefs knife to score down the sternum. This will help to pop out the breast bone and flatten the chicken. (Watch the video or look at the photo gallery in the post).
• 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. The chicken should lay flat with both breasts and the legs laying flat beside them. Remember: the goal is to make the chicken as evenly-splayed out as possible for quick, even cooking.

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

Spice Rub

• Combine the spice rub ingredients in a bowl, mash with a mortar and pestle OR blend briefly in a hand blender/blender until a loose paste consistency is achieved. Spread the paste over both sides of the chicken (including the cavity) rubbing in to coat, 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 the 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. If the wing tips begin to burn place foil over the tips.

  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 the oven. 

  Remove from oven and rest uncovered 10 minutes on a cutting board before serving.
• Grilling spatchcocked chicken on a gas grill? Start with medium-high heat for the first few minutes of cooking, just until the skin is a nice crispy, golden-brown. Then turn the burners to low.

  Grilling  over charcoal? Begin cooking the dry-rubbed, spatchcocked chicken over direct heat (the warmest part of the grill) to give the skin a lovely char. 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.

Pan-seared asparagus with garlic and caramelized lemon

• 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, tilt it, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic to the towel-lined plate, leaving the remaining oil in the skillet. Season the crispy garlic with salt.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, season 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 againwith salt and pepper.
• Using the same skillet you might need to add more oil, place the lemon halves cut side down in the skillet over medium-low heat. 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.