Spatchcocked Chicken With Herb Butter
Published March 11, 2020
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus at least 2 hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼cup unsalted butter (½ stick), at room temperature
- 4garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
- 2teaspoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- 2teaspoons minced mixed fresh herbs — any mix of mint, oregano and marjoram
- 1½teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
- ½teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- 1¾teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1teaspoon herbes de Provence
- ½teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ½teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1(3½- to 4-pound) chicken, spatchcocked and dried with paper towels (see Note)
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
488 calories; 37 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 36 grams protein; 693 milligrams sodium
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
Great recipe. I followed the suggestion to blend butter with olive oil and Dijon mustard—worked great! This definitely needs to sit for at least two or three hours—I only had 75 mins to give and the flavors definitely needed more time.
Turned out great! I wish I had read the suggestions of 400 degrees for 75 mins before I prepared this recipe, and letting bird come to room temp prior to roasting - would have been a little better. But it still turned out great. Flavor was wonderful. Rubbed herb butter over and under skin about 16 hours in advance -- took recipe suggestion of uncovered in fridge. Made extra herb butter and used it with a pan of roasted carrots, sweet potatoes and baby potatoes. Was a very delightful meal.
I made this yesterday and wish I had read some of the notes before starting. I've made plenty of roast chickens in the past, both regular and spatchcocked. Thought 450 was a bit high, but it's tested, right? All the herbs on the surface burned to crisp, the ones under the skin were fine. Have never seen so much smoke come out of an oven. If you plan on doing this one, I'd put all herb butter under skin and reduce temperature to 400, but maybe look for different recipe.