Whole Roasted Chicken
A spatchcocked whole roasted chicken is one of my go-to easy meals. With little prep time, you can get this into the oven ahead allowing you to spend time with family and friends.
Equipment
- 1 Scissor or Sharp Kitchen Knife
- 1 Baking Sheet
- 2 Skewers optional
- 1 Saute Pan
Ingredients
Spatchcock Whole Roasted Chicken
- 4 Tbsp butter softened
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley or 1 tsp of dried
- ½ tsp of lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Whole Roasted Chicken Jus (Gravy)
- Chicken neck spine, liver, and any other giblets
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp chopped onion
- 1 Tbsp chopped celery the leaves give the best flavor!
- ½ salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ cups water
- Pan drippings
Instructions
Spatchcock Whole Roasted Chicken
- Sprinkle salt and pepper over the entirety of the chicken, making sure it is well covered. I like to put some underneath the skin as well for extra flavor.
- Mix butter, parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice together until it forms a bit of a paste. It is helpful if the butter is a little runny here as it will cool down and get sticky in the next step.
- Lift the skin of the thighs and breast and rub 2-3 tablespoons of the butter mixture underneath the skin. Use the remaining 1-2 tablespoons to spread on top of the skin. This will make the skin nice and crispy.
- Place a meat thermometer in the thickest cut of dark meat. Usually this is the thigh, but I have found that, in pasture-raised chickens, the legs usually take the longest to cook.
- Place in the oven and cook at 425 until it reaches 165 degrees or about 50-60 minutes, depending on the size of the bird. I prefer to cook the chicken to about 160, cover it, and let it rest for 10 minutes. It will heat up the extra 5 degrees during the resting process and keeps the less fatty white meats juicy. Serve with jus (gravy) recipe below.
Whole Roasted Chicken Jus (Gravy)
- Melt butter in a medium to large pan on medium heat. Add onions and celery and sauté until they become fragrant (2-3 min).
- Add chicken giblets, spine, and neck and sauté until browned (1-2 min per side). Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add salt, pepper, bay leaf and water to the mixture. Deglaze the bottom of the pan.
- Let the mixture come to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for at least 20 minutes or until chicken is finished.
- Once chicken has been removed from the oven, pour the dripping from the pan into your jus.
- Remove from heat and pour jus through a strainer to separate out the vegetables and chicken parts. Set the chicken spine, neck, and giblets aside and store with the bones in the fridge to use for making broth. Serve over top of chicken for a juicy flavorful sauce.
Notes
*I like to cook the chicken to 160 degrees and then take it out of the oven and cover it to rest for about 10 minutes. During these 10 minutes, the chicken will continue cooking and reach 165 degrees. This will ensure that the breast meat does not dry out.