This is the perfect roasted citrus and herb spatchcock chicken recipe. It's quick and easy, succulent and crispy, and on the table in an hour. A spatchcock chicken is a delicious meal for smaller gatherings, and this is a great one for spring/summer.
I love roasting a whole bird like a whole roasted duck, or capon chicken, and spatchcocking the bird is a great way to speed up the cooking process without sacrificing moistness or flavor. It's a simple yet impressive recipe that everyone always loves.
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❓Why you should spatchcock
- It's easier than you think. Don't be afraid to take your knife to the bird. It is a lot simpler than you might imagine to cut out the backbone and make a flattened chicken. I'll show you how below.
- It cooks faster. Whereas I'd normally allow up to 1.5 hours plus resting time for a large chicken, when you spatchcock it reduces the oven time and gets your meal on the table faster.
- You still get the juicy benefits. Cooking meat on the bone will always taste better and give you super juicy chicken. The bones conduct heat, but the collagen inside them also helps to keep the chicken juicy and moist as well as imparting flavor.
📖 Ingredients List
- Whole chicken - Spatchcocking a chicken means we remove the backbone to flatten chicken, which helps it to cook faster whilst still staying moist and juicy on the bone. If you have time to dry brine for 12-24 hours before cooking, this will really help to get crispy skin.
- Lemon - I love super lemony chicken, and the extra juice makes you a ready made easy pan sauce that tastes amazing with whatever side dishes you serve.
- Garlic - Crush the garlic into a paste with some salt to help it along.
- Parsley - I love how parsley enhances other flavors without stealing the limelight. You can use fresh flat or curly-leaf parsley.
- Chives - The mild onion taste of fresh chives is perfect with the rest of the marinade ingredients.
- Olive oil - You can use any kind of oil that is suitable for roasting, but olive oil fits the flavor profile of this dish the best.
- Salt and cracked black pepper
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make citrus and herb spatchcock chicken.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
How to spatchcock chicken
Turn the chicken over so it is breast side down on a large cutting board. Use a sharp chef's knife or kitchen scissors to cut down either side of the chicken backbone. Don't worry about being neat, no one is going to see the underside!
Turn the chicken over again and press down on the breast bone with the palm of your hand to flatten the chicken. Some people trim the wing tips, but I just tuck them under the bird. Blot the skin with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
🌟 Top tip for crispy spatchcock chicken skin
If you can, spatchcock the chicken the day before you cook it, sprinkle a teaspoon of salt all over it, and leave it uncovered in the fridge. The skin will dry out and, therefore, crisp up better in the oven.
How to roast spatchcock chicken
Preheat the oven to 180C/355F. Lay slices of lemon in the bottom of a suitable dish. If you have a large enough cast iron skillet or pan, I like it as it catches the juices.
Crush the garlic and mix it with lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and fresh herbs in a small bowl. Brush the citrus herb marinade over the surface of the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, rotating the pan halfway through. It is cooked when the juices run clear or a meat thermometer reads 74C/165F. For the juiciest chicken, rest for 10-20 minutes before serving.
🌟 Top tip
Take the fresh chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook it to let it come to room temperature. This will ensure that it cooks more evenly and faster.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
I like to leave the spatchcock chicken in its cooking pan and surround it with some vegetable sides to make it a really presentable centerpiece dish. I'll often make this with my warm potato asparagus salad spread underneath after roasting, but it could also work well with roasted fennel, peppers, chorizo, and orange. You could also then replace the lemon with orange juice and orange zest. Sometimes I take the chicken out and carve it, and then put it back in to make serving easier.
As an aside, the juices in the bottom of the cooking dish will be an unbelievably delicious garlicky lemon pan sauce that you 100% should not waste. You can spoon this additional lemon herb sauce over the meat once it is served. And if you got giblets with your bird, make giblet gravy.
🍷 Wine pairing for roast chicken
A light and fruity Pinot Noir is the perfect accompaniment to roast chicken, or another lighter red like a Beaujolais.
❄️ Storage & Freezing
Store leftover spatchcock chicken in the fridge and consume it within 2-3 days. You can transfer it to an airtight container or cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil. Enjoy leftovers cold or reheat gently in the oven or in the microwave.
🥣 Equipment
I use a large, shallow enameled cast iron pan to roast spatchcock chicken as it is wide enough but also catches all those juicy pan drippings. And a decent, sharp knife or pair of kitchen shears will help you to flatten chicken and get the backbones out without too much effort.
❓Recipe FAQ
Use the backbone from flattened chicken to make stock or bone broth. You can also double-wrap the backbone in plastic wrap and foil and freeze it for use in the future.
Measure chicken temperature from the thickest part of the breast, and it should read 74C/165F when it is fully cooked.
🍽 Other main dish recipes
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Have you tried this recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Citrus And Herb Spatchcock Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken
- 2 Lemons 1 sliced, 1 juiced and zested
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon Parsley fresh, chopped
- 2 tablespoon Chives fresh, chopped
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
How to spatchcock chicken
- Turn the bird over and remove the bags of giblets from the cavity if they are in there.
- Use a sharp knife or butcher scissors to cut down either side of the backbone and remove it. Turn the bird over again and press down on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. Sprinkle with salt, and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to help the skin crisp up.
How to roast spatchcock chicken with citrus herb marinade
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ / 355℉ and remove the chicken from the fridge to come to room temperature.
- Juice and zest one of the lemons, and slice the other one. Place the lemon slices in the center of the oven dish.
- Mix the minced garlic, lemon juice, and zest, herbs, and olive oil together in a small bowl and brush over the surface of the chicken.
- Roast the spatchcock chicken for 45 minutes to an hour. Rotate the pan after 30 minutes.
- Test that the juices run clear and/or that the internal temperature measures 74℃/165℉. Rest the roasted chicken for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
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