How to Spatchco*ck a Chicken

Are you ready for a cooking hack that will change your life in the best way? Yes? Good, buckle up for magic.

I’ve previously shared my whole roasted chicken and even the best maple herb butter turkey (Thanksgiving, I see you) but I realized I had never given you my secret, super easy spatchco*ck chicken recipe! If you’ve never spatchco*cked a chicken before, you’re in for a wonderful surprise.

When you spatchco*ck a chicken instead of roasting it whole as-is, you’ll not only save time but you’ll also end up with a full chicken that is perfectly cooked throughout. I’ve included step-by-step instructions, tips, photos, and everything you’ll need below so that you’ll become a pro in no time.

We love to grill our spatchco*cked chicken, but I’ve included roasting instructions as well! Any way you do it up I guarantee it’ll be delicious. Don’t forget to try my amazing marinades, side dishes, and ways to use your grilled or roasted spatchco*ck chicken leftovers (yes, you’ll find them all below). Give it a try for your weeknight dinner soon and let me know how you like this easy method!

What is “spatchco*cking?”

Spatchco*cking, also known as butterflying, is a method of preparing a chicken or turkey by removing the backbone and cutting or removing the breastbone so that you can lie the chicken flat.

Benefits of spatchco*cking your chicken

When you cook a whole chicken as-is, different parts of the chicken naturally take different amounts of time to cook. The breast, for example, is done faster than the thigh, so the cooking can be uneven and you may end up with dry meat from the chicken breast. When you spatchco*ck a chicken, the whole thing can cooks so you eliminate this problem! Cooking a spatchco*ck chicken results in:

Quicker cooking times
More even cooking and thus juicier chicken
Crispy, flavorful skin

Recommended tools

There are a few essential tools you’ll need when spatchco*cking a chicken:

Large cutting board (use the code ‘ambitiouskitchen15’ to get 15% off our fav brand, Sonder LA!)
Paper towels
Sharp poultry shears
Meat thermometer

Get all of our kitchen staples here.

Trust me when I say spatchco*cking a chicken is easier than it looks! Let’s walk through it step-by-step:

Step 1: place your chicken on a large, sturdy cutting board breast-side down, and pat it dry with paper towels. Use sharp poultry kitchen shears to cut closely along both sides of the spine or backbone.

Step 2: remove the backbone and discard it or save it to make homemade stock.

Step 3: flip the chicken over so that it’s skin-side and breast-side up and firmly press down on the breast of the chicken to flatten it until you hear a small crack. This is the breast bone breaking, which will allow the chicken’s ribs to lie flat. Then you can flip your chicken back over.

Option 1: grill your spatchco*ck chicken

Congrats, you have a successful spatchco*cked chicken! Now it’s time to cook it up to perfection. I have two great methods for cooking a spatchco*ck chicken: grilling and roasting. We love to grill ours! Here’s how to do it:

Prep your grill. Start by preheating your grill to 400 degrees F. Then place your chicken skin-side down over the middle burner.
The first cook. Grill the chicken on the middle burner for about 5-10 minutes with the lid closed.
The full cook. Flip the whole chicken over and turn OFF the middle burner so that the chicken is now in indirect heat. Cook it with the lid closed for 45 minutes to an hour until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
Rest & serve. Once the chicken is done, let it rest for about 20 minutes before cutting into it and serving it up.

Option 2: roast your spatchco*ck chicken

If you don’t have a grill, you can easily roast your spatchco*ck chicken instead! I guarantee it’ll be the best roast chicken you’ll ever eat. Here’s how to do it:

Prep your oven. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and place your chicken skin-side up on a large baking sheet lined with foil or in a cast iron skillet.
Roast it up. Roast the chicken for 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
Rest & serve. Just like with grilled chicken, be sure to let the chicken rest before cutting into it.

How do you know when the chicken is done?

Your chicken will be done when a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees F. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your whole chicken.

Tips for the perfect spatchco*ck chicken

Don’t forget these easy tips and tricks to ensure you have the perfect spatchco*ck chicken every time:

Cut close to the bone. When you’re cutting the backbone out, be sure to cut very close to the bone on both sides so that you don’t lose any meat in the process.
Dry your chicken. Make sure you pat the chicken dry before spatchco*cking it so that it’s not too slippery to handle. Be sure to then pat it dry again before adding your dry rub or marinade so that the seasonings stay on the chicken get the skin nice and crispy.
Don’t skimp on seasonings. Remember to marinate and/or rub ALL parts of the chicken so that you get lots of flavor evenly throughout the whole thing.
Bring it to room temp. Before you grill or roast your chicken, bring it to room temp so that it cooks evenly.
Let it rest. Don’t skip the resting phase after your chicken is done cooking! This will not only ensure that you don’t burn your hands while handling the chicken, but also that the juices stay inside the chicken and keep it nice and juicy.

Easy spatchco*ck chicken marinades

In this spatchco*ck chicken recipe, I like to season it simply with butter, garlic, paprika, lemon zest, and lots of freshly ground salt and black pepper. You could also use any of the following delicious seasonings and marinades (just note that you may need to double or triple the ingredients):

Herb Butter Maple
Homemade Sazon Seasoning
Honey Mustard Chicken
Spicy Cilantro Yogurt
Greek Chicken
Spicy Ranch
Jerk Chicken

Get all of our fav chicken marinades here!

Spatchco*ck your chicken ahead of time

Yes, you can spatchco*ck your chicken ahead if time if you want to cook it later! Simply go through the spatchco*cking process, then cover the chicken well and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 days before you’d like to cook it.

Our fav side dishes to serve with a spatchco*ck chicken

Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
The Best Creamy Garlic Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Cheddar Broccoli Cauliflower Gratin
Brown Butter Acorn Squash Pasta with Toasted Hazelnuts + Sage
Caramelized Garlic Carrots with Spicy Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Brussels Sprouts Kale Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Maple Cider Dressing
How to Make My Favorite Coconut Rice
Delicious Grilled Vegetables (4 different ways!)
Arroz con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas)
The Best Fluffy Moist Cornbread Recipe Ever

Get all of my amazing side dishes recipes here!

Storing & freezing tips

After you’ve cooked and carved your spatchco*ck chicken, you can use it right away or store the leftovers for later:

To store: let the chicken cool completely and transfer it to an airtight container. Place the container in the fridge and use the chicken within 4-5 days.
To freeze:repeat the steps above but instead place your chicken meat in the freezer. Cooked chicken will stay good in the freezer for about 3 months. When you’re ready to use it, simply thaw it in the refrigerator and enjoy it cold with salad recipes or heat it up in the microwave for warm recipes.

Use the chicken in these delicious recipes

Spicy Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce
High Protein Salads in Jars
BBQ Ranch Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Blow Ya Mind Cheddar Broccoli Chicken Pot Pie
15-Minute Healthy Moroccan-Spiced Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Spicy Ranch Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad
Pesto Mushroom Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups
Sesame Chicken Cabbage Crunch Salad
Butternut Squash Green Chile Chicken Soup

Get all of our deliciouschicken recipes here!

I hope you love this spatchco*ck chicken recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!

How to Spatchco*ck a Chicken | Ambitious Kitchen (10)

The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook

125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

Preorder Now

How to Spatchco*ck a Chicken

Leave A Review Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

ServesServes 6 servings

This easy spatchco*ck chicken recipe will give you juicy, flavorful chicken every time! Get easy, step-by-step instructions for how to spatchco*ck a chicken, add your favorite marinades and seasonings, and then grill or roast it to perfection. You'll come back to this method time and time again!

Ingredients

1 (5 pound) young chicken, preferably organic
For seasoning:
1/4 cup butter, softened
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
Zest from 1 lemon
Lots of freshly ground salt and pepper

Instructions

Place chicken on a sturdy cutting board breast-side down and pat dry with paper towels.
Using sharp, strong kitchen shears, cut closely along one side of the spine or backbone, then repeat with the other side of the backbone. Be sure to cut as close to spine as possible so you do not remove excess meat. Remove the backbone and discard or save it to make homemade stock.
Flip the chicken over so that it’s skin-side and breast-side up and firmly press down on the breast of the chicken to flatten it until you hear a small crack. This is the breastbone breaking, which will allow the chicken to lie flat. Alternatively, with the legs facing away from you, you can make two small incisions on either side of the breastbone along the neck to help flatten the chicken.
Once the chicken is spatchco*cked, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and marinate it however your heart desires. It’s important to really season the chicken well with oil, herbs, spices and salt and pepper to really get it flavorful and to ensure the skin is nice and crispy.
To grill
Turn on all of the burners on your grill and preheat to 400 degrees F. Place chicken skin side down (top down) over the middle burner and grill for 5-10 minutes with the lid closed.
Flip chicken over (keeping chicken in the middle of the grill) and turn off the middle burner so chicken is over indirect heat. Grill with the lid closed for roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour, and be sure heat stays in the grill at 400 degrees F. Grilling time will depend on the size of your chicken. Chicken is done when it reads 165 degrees F. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 20 minutes before cutting into so that it’s cool enough to carve/cut.
To roast
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place seasoned chicken skin-side up on a large baking sheet lined with foil or in a large cast iron skillet and roast the chicken for 40-45 minutes or until chicken reads 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer.

Recipe by: Monique Volz of Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by:Eat Love Eats