Learn how to easily butterfly a whole chicken (also known as spatchcock) and cook it to beautifully golden brown deliciousness in the oven or on the grill with these tips, techniques and more below.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Keyword How To Roast Or Grill A Spatchcock Chicken
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Additional Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour40 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Calories 52kcal
Author Bon Appeteach
Ingredients
1Chickenunder 4 lbs.
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Other Dry Rubs/Herbs if desired
Instructions
Start by removing your chicken from any packaging. I like to check first to remove any packets or the neck that's sometimes kept in the cavity of the chicken. You can discard or save to make gravy.
I prefer to use kitchen shears to remove the backbone personally (I feel like I have more control), but a chef's knife is a good option as well.
Flip the chicken over so it's breast side down. Using your shears or knife cut just on each side of the backbone, cutting through the ribs and remove the spine completely. Place the chicken breast side back up and press down to crack the breast bones so it lays flat.
Pat the chicken dry to remove moisture, add a little olive oil to the entire chicken and season with salt and pepper or other herbs and spices if desired.
Preheat your oven or your grill (set to indirect heat) to 425 F. and cook your chicken on an elevated baking sheet with a cooling rack to allow the heat to travel above and under the chicken. Cook until the thickest part (the thigh) is 165 F. internally. Timing may vary from 45-90 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Be sure to use a thermometer for proper cooking.
When the chicken is done, remove and let it rest for 15 minutes or so before slicing into it and serving.
Notes
See tips in the post above for cooking chickens larger than 4 lbs.