What is Spatchcock Chicken?
Though the origin of the culinary term ‘spatchcock’ is unclear, it has been around since at least the 18th century. Spatchcock chicken (スパッチコックチキン) is also called ‘butterflied’ chicken, and it is a popular way to prepare a whole chicken. Essentially, it involves removing the backbone and sternum from a whole chicken and flattening it. Since the chicken is butterflied, it cooks quicker and more evenly than traditional roasting. You can ask your butcher to remove the backbone for you, but it is actually not that hard. In the video and recipe below, we will show you a very easy way to tackle it at home.
Why Does This Recipe Work?
There are many reasons to prepare spatchcock chicken at home versus roasting a whole bird.
Crispy skin: Since the skin is all facing up, the moisture is able to escape, resulting in crispier skin. Even cooking of white and dark meats: It’s tricky to cook both the white and dark meats of the chicken evenly, even when it is trussed. Laying it flat provides a wide surface, allowing uniform cooking. Fast cooking time: The general rule for roasting a whole chicken in the oven is 20 minutes per pound. Spatchcocking cuts the cooking time in half! I’ll discuss more in the next section. Easier to season: With the chicken flattened and facing up, it’s much easier to spread both dry and wet seasonings on the whole bird without them falling off. Foolproof results: With a meat thermometer, we’ll show you the easiest method to make the perfect juicy chicken every time.
Spatchcock Chicken Cooks Significantly Faster
This method cooks the chicken in half the time! Roasting a whole 4-pound chicken in the oven takes 1 hour and 20 minutes (general rule: 20 minutes per pound), but spatchcock chicken is done in around 40 minutes. We recommend using a bird no larger than 5 lbs (2 to 2.3 kg) for spatchcock chicken. We like the skin-to-meat ratio for this size of chicken, and it cooks very quickly. Some people recommend letting the cold whole chicken sit at room temperature to warm up before roasting, so it will cook evenly. With spatchcock chicken, you can throw it straight into the oven cold; no need to worry about whether the chicken is at room temperature.
How to Prepare Spatchcock Chicken
It is super easy to prepare spatchcock chicken, but you will need to get your hands dirty. Here are the steps:
To Brine, or not to Brine: Dry, Wet, or None?
Brining a chicken is not a must, but we strongly recommend taking the time to do it. Why? Chicken is naturally lean meat, which means it’s prone to drying out. For this recipe, dry brining is the best option compared to wet brining. Wet brining introduces moisture, so you won’t get crispy skin. It also dilutes the natural flavors of the chicken. On the other hand, dry brining allows the meat enough time to absorb the seasonings all the way through. It also helps keep the meat moist and tender when you leave it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Even if you overcook it slightly, the chicken will still come out juicy. In short, the extra step of dry brining will leave you with tender, juicy meat and extra crispy skin. That’s exactly what we are after!
Ideal Temperature for Spatchcock Chicken
Most recipes will call for cooking the chicken to 165ºF (74ºC) because this is the temperature at which salmonella is destroyed for food safety. However, if you do this, you will end up with dry and overcooked chicken. For killing salmonella in chicken, there are actually two factors: time and temperature. At 165ºF (74ºC), all the salmonella will be killed instantly. However, if you keep the chicken at 150ºF (66ºC) for 3 minutes, it has the same effect according to the USDA. One thing to keep in mind is that the outer part of the chicken meat will be much hotter than the inner part. So when the thickest part of the chicken hits 150ºF (66ºC), the outer layers are around 180ºF (82ºC). When the chicken is taken out of the oven, the remaining heat continues to increase the temperature. So when the meat thermometer says 150ºF (66ºC), the temperature is sustained or even keeps going up by 5-10ºF after removing it from the oven. For more details, check out the experiment from Thermoworks and Kenji’s Lopez’s article on Serious Eats. This makes having an oven probe extremely important, as you don’t want to keep opening the oven door to test if the chicken is at 150ºF (66ºC). If your oven doesn’t come with the probe function, we highly recommend this Thermoworks Chef’s Alarm for cooking.
Honey Soy Glazed Sauce
For this recipe, 10 minutes before the chicken is ready—when it’s around 135ºF (57ºC)—we brush our favorite gluten-free honey soy sauce on the chicken skin. The sauce adds a bit of sweetness and umami from the tamari soy sauce, enhancing the overall flavor combination. We use Kikkoman’s gluten-free Tamari Soy Sauce to create this sauce. A Honey Soy Glaze gives the chicken a glossy, flavorful coating to complement the meat’s flavor and dress up its appearance.
Key Points and Important Tips
Use a whole chicken (ideally “air-chilled”) no larger than 5 lbs (2.3 kg) for spatchcock chicken. Season the whole chicken liberally on all sides. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and 16-mesh coarse ground black pepper. Refrigerate the brined chicken, uncovered, for 24 hours before roasting. This allows the skin to dry out slightly and crisp up better during roasting. Roast at 450°F (232°C) with a convection oven or 475ºF (246ºC) with a conventional oven. Convection cooking uses a fan to evenly distribute hot air throughout the oven and promotes more consistent browning, particularly with meat. Baste the chicken with the glaze 10 minutes before the chicken is done cooking to avoid the sauce burning. Roast chicken until the thickest part of the breasts (close to the bone) registers 150°F (66°C) on the oven meat probe or on an instant-read thermometer. Tent loosely with foil for at least 10 minutes after removal from the oven, and allow the chicken to rest before carving. This allows the chicken to maintain 150°F (66°C) for 3 minutes (equivalent to the safe internal temperature for cooked chicken, 165ºF (74ºC), according to the USDA). Additionally, it allows the juices in the chicken to distribute more evenly throughout the meat, resulting in juicier meat.
Perfect for Every Occasion
Whether you are having a family dinner or planning a small gathering, I highly recommend giving this recipe a try. It’s really easy, as long as you spatchcock the chicken, dry brine it, and use a meat probe thermometer. When the roasted whole chicken is ready to be served, we like to carve it into individual servings and pour the delicious, flavor-packed sauce on top. I’m getting hungry just thinking about how tasty this recipe is!
Delicious Sides to Serve With This Chicken
Maple and Miso Glazed Roasted Carrots Roasted Kabocha Squash Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Shio Koji Kabocha Squash Soup Green Beans with Yuzu Vinaigrette
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