Spatchcocked Chicken With Herb Butter
Published March 10, 2020
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus at least 2 hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick), at room temperature
4 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons minced mixed fresh herbs — any mix of mint, oregano and marjoram
1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (3 ½- to 4-pound) chicken, spatchcocked and dried with paper towels (see Note)
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
1 gram carbs; 233 milligrams cholesterol; 683 calories; 20 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 51 grams fat; 756 milligrams sodium; 53 grams protein
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, parsley, mixed herbs, thyme, rosemary, salt, herbes de Provence, lemon zest, white pepper and black pepper. Rub three-quarters of the mixture all over the chicken, including under the skin. (Reserve the remaining herb butter for serving.) Place the chicken, breast-up, on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate it, uncovered, for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Step 2
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Roast chicken until it is just cooked through (the meat will no longer be pink and the juices will run clear; an instant read thermometer inserted into the thigh will read 165 degrees), 40 to 55 minutes. Let the chicken rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving. Serve it topped with the reserved herb butter and lemon wedges.
To spatchcock a chicken, place the bird breast-side down on a work surface. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, start at the tail end and cut along one side of the backbone. Open the chicken up like a book, flip the chicken over, and press down on it to flatten it. Press firmly on the breastbone. You’ll feel it pop.
Private Notes
Comments
When prepping meat to roast, grill, or bake, including poultry, I leave out for a min of 2 hours. Goal is room temperature for even cooking. My father was a butcher and caterer and this is from him. I cook for pleasure
Herb butter tends to burn at 450ºF. To mitigate a potential visit from your local FD, melt herb butter with some olive oil and white wine, then whisk in a tablespoon or so of Dijon mustard before spreading on/under the skin. Now you can roast at 450ºF for 35 - 45 minutes without burning. I've been using the technique for 20+ years (thank you Jacques Pepìn!) with great success.
I put all the flavoring ingredients including lemon zest strips into Food processor to grind. Then added butter. Super easy to make extra this way and freeze in ice cube trays for future. Also used 400 for 4.5# bird. 75 min
Im sorry but am I the only one who found this butter to be way too salty and garlicky? This is coming from someone who almost always finds things to not have enough salt and garlic. I added a full extra stick of butter and it was still too salty. I didn’t have any more unsalted butter so I mixed in some olive oil. Still too salty.
Bought a 5lb chicken at WF, where they spatchcocked it for me. Add a little white wine, olive oil and dijon mustard to the rub and spoon it all over chicken. Bake at 400 for 75 minutes. No burning and house smelled great! Delicious.
I had high hopes with the compound herb butter, but my chicken was dry and lacked the flavor of a brined bird, and the herbs on the skin ended up crispy brown, almost burned beyond recognition. The method was a bit tricky as well: evenly slathering butter on a cool chicken is difficult. I softened the butter in the microwave but it still was hard to apply (under skin was easier). I may try doing a similar butter mix under the skin of my favorite buttermilk brined bird (Samin Nosrat's) next time!