Family Spice Recipe for Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

Spatchcocked (Butterflied) Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

By removing the backbone of the chicken, you can roast the chicken butterflied in 30-45 minutes. This butterflying technique is also known as spatchcocking.

 

Recipe by Family Spice

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 small chicken (2 1/2 - 3lb)
  • 2 lemons, sliced
  • 4 fresh thyme sprigs
  • salt & pepper

 

  1. About 30 minutes before roasting, remove from the refrigerator:
    • 1 small chicken (2 1/2 - 3lb)
  2. If the giblet and neck are in the chicken cavity, remove them and reserve for another use or discard.
  3. Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board.
  4. Using poultry shears or a large, sharp knife, cut along each side of the backbone.
  5. Pull the chicken open slightly to cut the backbone out completely. Reserve for stock or discard.
  6. Turn the chicken breast side up and open it as flat as possible.
  7. Press firmly to break the breastbone and flatten the bird.
  8. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
  9. Preheat oven to 450ºF.
  10. Place chicken back onto cutting board, breast side up and slip your fingers under the skin to gently separate the skin from the breast meat on both sides. Be careful not to tear the skin.
  11. Carefully slide under the skin, spacing them evenly:
    • 5-7 thin lemon slices
    • 4 fresh thyme sprigs
  12. Season the chicken with:
    • salt & pepper
  13. Line a roasting pan just large enough to hold the chicken with aluminum foil.
  14. Oil a flat roasting rack and place it in the prepared pan.
  15. Place the chicken, skin side up, on the rack.
  16. Roast the chicken until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone registers 170º-175º, 40-45 minutes.
  17. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the chicken to your serving platter.
  18. Tent with aluminum foil and let the chicken rest 10 minutes before serving.

 

Family Spice Recipe for Crispy Butterflied Chicken

Family Spice Recipe for Crispy Butterflied Chicken

 

Prep Time: 10 min, plus 40 min resting time

Cook Time: 45 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 2-4

Serving Size: approx. 1/4 chicken

Serving Suggestions: You can also do this for cornish hens, which only take 30 minutes to cook. Instead of thyme try other fresh herbs: rosemary, basil, cilantro. For a sweeter chicken, try using orange slices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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