Spatchcock Roast Chicken
Updated Sept. 10, 2025
- Total Time
- At least 1¼ hours
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour, plus 10 minutes’ resting
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Aromatics, such as 1 thinly sliced onion, a handful of rosemary or thyme sprigs, 2 sliced lemons, a medium bunch of parsley or scallions, or any combination
- 1(3- to 4-pound) whole chicken
- 3tablespoons neutral oil, olive oil or melted clarified butter
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare your setup: Set a wire rack into a rimmed sheet pan. Combine several generous pinches of salt in a small bowl with lots of black pepper. (Have more seasoning than you’ll need for easy sprinkling and to avoid cross-contamination with the rest of your salt and pepper.) Have paper towels and kitchen shears handy. If you plan to cook the chicken right away, make a bed for it to roast on by lining the wire rack with the aromatics of your choice. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Step 2
Spatchcock the chicken: Place the chicken on a cutting board, breast side down. Using kitchen shears or poultry shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. (Save the backbone for stock, or roast it alongside the chicken to gnaw on.) Flip the bird and press firmly on the breast until it flattens and you hear the wishbone crack. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Step 3
Season and roast the chicken: If roasting right away, rub the chicken with the oil, then evenly and generously sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture all over the chicken. Place the chicken on the bed of aromatics and roast until an instant-read thermometer registers at least 160 degrees at the thickest part of the breast and leg, or the juices run clear when pierced with a knife at the leg joint, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Step 4
If you’re dry brining: Evenly and generously sprinkle the salt and pepper mixture all over the chicken. Place on a wire rack and refrigerate uncovered for 6 to 24 hours. When ready to cook, heat the oven to 450 degrees and arrange a bed of aromatics under the chicken. Rub the chicken with the oil and roast until an instant-read thermometer registers at least 160 degrees at the thickest part of the breast and leg, or the juices run clear when pierced with a knife at the leg joint, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Step 5
Let rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then carve and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
Is there no mention anywhere of the roasting temperature? Did I miss it? Try preheating a cast iron skillet in a 500-degree oven and roasting the butterflied bird (or, like me, leg quarters) in that. Place empty pan in cold oven. Rub oil, salt, and pepper on chicken, add a sprig of something. When heated, put chicken in and reduce heat to 400. Perfect every time. (Lest I be accused of plagiarism, credit goes to Cooks Illustrated.)
Recipe says to heat oven to 450 degrees.
A sharp knife will do if you lack the shears. I don't remove the spine, I just cut one side and flatten it out.
I have done this a number of times and the chicken always comes out perfect. Some variations, the last one I did I dry brined with kosher salt and brushed mayonnaise over the top of the chicken. It was the most moist chicken I ever made. I roast at 450 and cover the bird , if needed, with aluminum foil if it's browning too fast.
This worked great. They ran out of chicken in the supermarket on Dec 23rd in the evening so I replaced it with two chicks and it worked well. I accidentally stored them in the freezer, so defrosted in the fridge for 24h first, then 6hrs dry brining. The lemon-thyme-onion based kicked in really nicely with the peppery salt on the skin. I accidentally covered only the upper part of the chicken in salt and pepper but it was still good.
The chicken was fantastic.