For years, I was under the impression that roasting a bird would takes hours and hours of time. You had to start in the morning and it wouldn’t be ready until 4 hours later. Because of this, I never made roasted chicken until a few years ago, when I discovered the amazing 5 Minute Prep Crispy Spatchcock Chicken.
How to Spatchcock a chicken
To spatchcock or butterfly a chicken, lay it on its breast and cut out the spine. Flip the bird over onto its spine, spread it open, and press down the breast. The legs should flare out. Make sure every part of the body is at about the same height. This helps the chicken cook evenly so that the breasts aren’t overcooked while the legs are undercooked.
Have you ever tried trussing (tying up) a chicken? It looks so easy but to get it tight and proper, it takes practice… so I’ve heard. I’ve only tried trussing once and it took more than 30 minutes to get it “right.” After that, I decided the taste of trussed chicken was not any better than this crispy spatchcock chicken and not worth the time to learn.
TIPS
The crispy spatchcock chicken is super simple to make but here are some things to watch for:
- A good pair of poultry shears cuts the spine out quickly (in a minute or less!). It can also be done with kitchen scissors. For turkeys, on the other hand, poultry shears are a must (else plan on spending 30 minutes or more trying to cut through the spine)!
- A meat thermometer is definitely a must-have kitchen tool to make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Your house will smell! It is wonderful as it’s roasting but I don’t quite enjoy the chicken smell throughout the house afterwards. So make sure you close those room doors and open windows while roasting!
- Your oven may get a bit messy. Roasting a chicken is not like baking cakes or cookies. Oil from the chicken will jump off the chicken as it roasts. You could prevent the mess by covering the chicken while it’s roasting; however, you won’t get the crispy chicken skin that comes with roasting from such high temperature!
- Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.
- Save the spine and bones for chicken broth or stock! This can be easily done in an Instant Pot!
5 Minute Prep Crispy Spatchcock Chicken
Equipment
- Meat thermometer
- Poultry shears or a pair of kitchen scissors
- Baking tray and wire rack
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 4-5 lbs
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp baking powder
- additional herbs/spices optional
- 1 tbsp canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500°F. Set a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet, lined with aluminum foil. Combine the salt, black pepper, and baking powder (and if you have other herbs you like to use) in a bowl and set aside. Also set aside 1 tbsp of oil.
- Lay the chicken on a cutting board with breast side down. Use the poultry shears to cut along both sides of the spine to remove it completely from the chicken. Go ahead and cut the spine into pieces. These can be used to make gravy or stock later.
- Set the chicken on the wire rack, with the spine side down. Spread open the chicken and press down on the breast so that most of the chicken is at the same height. Tuck in the wings, if you can.
- Drizzle and rub the oil all over the chicken. Then sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the entire chicken. Try to rub the seasoning under the skin of the chicken with your fingers.
- Roast the chicken for about 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 450°F. Take the chicken about of the oven. Cover the wings with foil to prevent it from burning and then roast again for about another 30 minutes. Cooking time may vary with size of the chicken. Use a meat thermometer to verify the chicken is cooked all the way through (150°F breasts, 175°F between the thighs and the body).
- After removing the chicken from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes before carving.
- Serve & enjoy!
Adapted from Serious Eats Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken Recipe
