Roasting a whole chicken is really the way to go nowadays. I love knowing that if I prepare a chicken, I’ll be able to get 3 meals out of it and my food prep for the week is pretty much complete. Chicken thighs with Brussels sprouts, chicken Cesar salad, and chicken breast sandwich for lunch sounds like a good week of meal planning and it’s all because of this easy Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken recipe. This recipe is super easy but most of all it’s super tender, juicy, and so flavorful.
Making a Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken
Step 1
Rinse your chicken in cold water and a little lemon juice and pat dry. Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board and cut both sides of the backbone using kitchen shears or a sharp knife. You can discard the backbone or keep it to make chicken broth. Make two slits along the sides of the breast bone and pull the bone out from the center of the chicken. At this point this chicken will lay flat.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken on a roasting pan or sheet and generously coat the chicken with vegetable or whatever oil you have. My go-to fat for roasting chicken is duck fat. The flavor and crispness of the skin is to die for. I found this brand at Wegmans. Once the chicken is coated, rub the spice blend onto the chicken very well. I also like to sprinkle a little garlic & onion seasoning on the top. I like garlic & I like onion. Season as liberally as you like, it’s your chicken 🙂
Step 3
Roast the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes on 350 degrees and then continue to cook on 400 degrees for 45 minutes. You should cook the chicken uncovered because you want a really nice golden and crispy skin. Don’t worry, the chicken will not dry out. To check to see if the chicken is done, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken and once it reads 160°, it should be done. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it.

Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roast
- Cuisine: American
Description
A simple recipe for roasted, juicy, and tender butterflied chicken for any occasion.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken ( about 4 lbs)
- 4 tbsp butter, sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 and 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Herbes De Provence
Instructions
- Preheat the chicken to 350°. Rinse the chicken off and place chicken breast-side down with the wings facing towards you. Use kitchen shears to cut through the ribs right next to the spine on both sides to remove spine. Open the rib cage and use a heavy chefs knife to score down the sternum. Flip the chicken over with the breast side up and using the palm of your hand, push firmly over the breast bone so the chicken lays completely flat.
- Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan and use your fingers to separate the skin and create pockets. Tuck 2 pieces (tbsp) of butter underneath the skin on the chicken breast, on both sides. Coat the chicken in the olive oil and rub the spices onto the chicken on both sides.
- Lay the chicken open side down on your roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes on 350° degrees and then continue to roast on 400° degrees for 45 minutes. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, once the internal temperature registers 160°, it should be done and the skin should be crispy. Remove the chicken and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
Keywords: Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Roast Chicken
Jaylynn Jaylynn Jaylynn, this is the BEST Roasted Chicken. Easy to prepare, and soooo good, not dry soooo moist. Thank you for this recipe, I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
★★★★★
Awesome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂