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This Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken turns out juicy and flavorful with extra crispy skin every time! It gets all it's flavor from the yummy herb butter. Any easy and quicker way to enjoy a delicious roast chicken!
This has become my favorite way to roast a whole chicken! Once you master how to "spatchcock" your chicken, this recipe will become a favorite of yours too. It is so simple to make and requires minimal preparation. Easy enough for a weeknight dinner, and pretty enough for entertaining your friends and family.
This post was originally posted on 4/30/2020 and updated on 10/27/2021.
Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Ingredients
- Whole Chicken
- Salted Butter
- Dried Parsley
- Dried Thyme
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Substitution Suggestions:
- Chicken: A boneless turkey breast would work, always check internal temperatures with poultry. You could also use bone in, skin on chicken breasts or thighs as well. The cook time will just need to be adjusted.
- Dried Herbs: Fresh herbs are a great substitute if you have them on hand. Double the amount of fresh herbs, because dried herbs are more pungent than fresh.
How to "Spatchcock" a Chicken
Spatchcock simply means to split open. So to split open a whole chicken you are going to cut the spine out.
- To do this, first dry off the chicken with paper towels so it is easier to handle. Then on a poultry safe cutting board, place the chicken, breast side down. Find a sharp pair of kitchen shears and locate the spine with your fingers. With your shears, cut along each side of the spine. Discard the spine or save for homemade chicken broth.
- Next, using a sharp knife, cut through the cartilage and score the membrane between the breasts. You can push the breast bone out if prefer by holding the chicken with both hands and pushing towards you, or you can do what I do and just skip to the next step.
- Which is, flip your bird over and using all your muscles push down between the breasts until you hear the breast bone break and the bird is lying flat.
- Now, tuck the tips of the wings behind the breasts and place the chicken on a foil or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Using paper towels pat the chicken dry one more time.
Bam! You just spatchcocked a chicken, or butterflied it, or split it open, whichever you like to call it!
How to Make Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
- First, before you do anything place your oven rack in the middle of the oven. Roasting the bird too close to the top will create a mess in your oven from the butter splattering, and ultimately your smoke alarm will go off. (This may have happened to me once or twice...) Plus, if the chicken is in the middle of the oven, the cooking will be done more evenly. After you have moved the rack, preheat your oven to 475°F.
- In a small bowl combine the butter, herbs, salt and black pepper.
- Next, using your hands, gently separate the skin from the chicken breast. Put a tablespoon of the butter under the skin on each breast, pushing the butter around to spread it out under the skin.
- Spread the remaining butter mix all over the top of the chicken by pushing the butter down and out in one direction. Using a small or mini rubber spatula works best.
- Wash your hands with soap and water! Now sprinkle a little extra salt and pepper all over the chicken.
- Finally, place your chicken in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Now reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for another 25 minutes. Depending on the size of your chicken this is when I start checking it's internal temp. To check the temperature place the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast while not touching any bones. I like to check multiple spots just to make sure. The thermometer should read at least 160°F.
- Let the chicken rest uncovered for at least 10 minutes.
Storing and Using Leftover Chicken
Storing: Store any leftover chicken in an air tight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Freezing: Leftover chicken can also be frozen. Place cooled chicken in a freezer safe air tight container or zip top bag, label, date and freeze. Chicken will last 3-4 months in the freezer.
Reheating: Reheat chicken in the microwave until warm or wrap in foil and heat in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Reusing leftovers: Leftover chicken is one those ingredients that is great for repurposing. Here are some great recipes for using leftover chicken:
- Chicken Dumpling Soup
- Roast Chicken Cobb Salad
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Spaghetti Bake
- Chicken and While Rice Soup
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
- Chicken Avocado Wraps
- Chicken Tortellini Salad
FAQs About Spatchcock Chicken
Spatchcock simply means to split open. So to split open a whole chicken you are going to cut the spine out so it can be flattened.
First, you place chicken breast side down and locate the spine. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut along each side of the spine. Next, using a sharp knife cut through the cartilage and score the membrane between the breasts. Then, push the breast bone out or flip the bird over and push down between the breasts until you hear the breast bone break and the bird is lying flat. Tuck the tips of the wings behind the breasts and voila.
Spatchcocking a chicken helps it cook more evenly leaving you with a juicier chicken. It is also a quicker way to cook a whole chicken.
When dealing with a whole chicken, it's basically the same thing. Spatchcock simply means to split open. To split a whole chicken, cut the spine out so it can be flattened. Most references to butterflying means to cut a boneless piece of meat through the middle, but not all the way through to create a book. This will double the size of the meat and reduce the thickness.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes:
- Perfect Roast Chicken
- Corn Flake Chicken Tenders
- Simple Roasted Chicken Breast
- Oven Roasted BBQ Chicken
- Pan Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Crispy Corn Flake Chicken
- Baked Cumin Chicken
- Oven Fried Chicken Legs
Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-5 lb whole chicken
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Spatchcock the Chicken
- On a poultry safe cutting board, place the chicken, breast side down. Find a sharp pair of kitchen shears and locate the spine with your fingers. With your shears, cut along each side of the spine. Discard the spine or save for homemade chicken broth.
- Using a sharp knife, cut through the cartilage and score the membrane between the breasts. You can push the breast bone out by holding the chicken with both hands and pushing towards you or you can flip the bird over and using all your muscles push down between the breasts until you hear the breast bone break and the bird is lying flat. Tuck the wing tips behind the breasts.
Make the Chicken
- Place oven rack in the middle and preheat oven to 475°F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Place the chicken on the baking sheet and pat it dry with paper towels.
- In a bowl, combine the butter, parsley, thyme, salt and black pepper.
- Gently separate the skin from the breast. Put a tablespoon of the butter under the skin on each breast, pushing the butter around to spread it out under the skin.
- Spread the remaining butter mix all over the top of the chicken by pushing the butter down and out in one direction. Using a small or mini rubber spatula works best. Sprinkle a little extra salt and pepper all over the chicken.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Now reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for another 25 minutes.
- Check the internal temp by placing the thermometer in the thickest part of the breast while not touching any bones. I like to check multiple spots just to make sure. The thermometer should read at least 160°F.
- Let the chicken rest uncovered for at least 10 minutes.
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