Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

“This easy roasted spatchcocked chicken is perfect for weekly meal prep or just simply a delicious dinner.” 

This spatchcock chicken is perfect for meal prep or it makes for a lovely family meal paired with brussel sprouts, maple sweet potatoes, or crispy baked wedge fries!

Spatchcocked chicken is SO easy to prepare and once you learn how, it will soon be the only way that you will cook whole chickens!

They cook in a fraction of the time and you’ll be left with crispy, delicious chicken.

Did you know, you can even cook a TURKEY this way too?! If you are cooking a turkey this way, you will have to increase the cooking time and use a meat thermometer to ensure proper cooking.

There are affiliate links in this post. Please see my disclosure policy to learn more.

Ingredient Notes

• Herb Butter - The herb butter is arguably the best part of this chicken! The chicken will be perfectly crispy on the outside, juicy and moist on the inside. This is one step that I suggest you do not skip! 
• Bones - The most important part is saving the bones to make liquid gold after you have enjoyed the chicken. What am I talking about, what is liquid gold? It’s bone broth, and it is MAGNIFICENT. The health benefits are off the charts and it is perfect to add to those winter soups and stews! Read all about how to make your own bone broth (in under 2 hours!) and become a bone broth master! 

Preparing the Chicken 

The very first thing that you need to know is how to remove the backbone from a whole chicken. 

Start by patting the chickens dry and place them on a sturdy flat surface. 

Easy three steps to removing the backbone from a whole chicken. 

Flip the chicken over so it is laying on the breast side (front or top side down). Locate the backbone by feeling in the middle of the back of the chicken. The backbone will be around 1” wide and will run vertically up the entire chicken. 

Using a pair of sharp kitchen shears cut vertically up the back of the chicken along one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side of the backbone, and whala the backbone is removed! 

Set the backbone aside and turn the chicken onto it’s front side. Using your hands, guide the back of the chicken so it is lying open (butterflied) on a flat surface. 

Using your palms, press down as hard as you can in the middle of the chicken’s breast bone. You should hear a popping sound and the chicken will lay flat. When the chicken lays flat, that is when the spatchcocking is complete! 

Check out this video showing how to spatchcock chicken if you are still unsure. 

Cooking the Chicken

Grab a large baking sheet and place an oven safe baking rack on the baking sheet. Then preheat the oven to 425°F.

Transfer the spatchcocked chickens to the baking sheet and lay the backbones next to the chickens on the edge of the wire rack. 

Herb Butter

In a small mixing bowl combine the melted butter, olive oil, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder and stir to combine. 

Using a basting brush, brush the chickens all over with the seasoning mixture.

Pour the water into the bottom of the baking sheet. This helps keep the chicken moist during cooking and prevents the butter from burning. 

Bake the chicken for 65-75 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. If the chickens start getting too brown during the baking time, loosely cover them with aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes.

After the chicken is done baking, let it cool for 10 minutes before breaking it down and serving. 

Breaking it Down

The chicken can be broken down in any way to suit how you want to serve the chicken. It can be as simple as shredding it all straight off the bone, or you can butcher it the same way as you would butcher a turkey at thanksgiving! The options are endless and in the end it will be up to your personal preference.  

Bone Broth

SAVE THOSE BONES PEOPLE!!!

After the chicken is cooked and the majority of the meat is removed you can use the bones to make bone broth! (This is when you will use that delicious roasted backbone too.)

Bone broth is a powerful elixir that is SO good for you. It packs a crazy amount of vitamins and minerals, all the good things for your body. One of my favorite parts is bone broth is collagen rich, and the collagen is naturally occurring within the bones. Bone broth can be used as a substitute for anything that calls for stock or broth.

If you don't want to make the bone broth immediately, pack up all the bones into a large freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to six months. 

If you have any questions about this recipe, I would be happy to answer them in the comments down below! To get a hold of us, you can shoot us an email or leave a comment down below! We can also be found on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.