Roasted Spatchcock Chicken and Vegetables

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Roasting a spatchcock chicken is a super quick way to cook a tender, juicy whole chicken for dinner! This sheet pan dinner includes root veggies, for a complete meal. It’s healthy, hearty, and SO delicious!

What is Spatchcock Chicken?

In a nutshell, spatchcocking is a way of preparing a whole fryer chicken to help it cook more quickly. The backbone of the bird is removed, and then the bird is pressed down and flattened. Some people call it butterflied chicken – either term works.

Not only does the bird cook more quickly than a whole roasted chicken, the skin gets extra crispy, and the meat stays moist and super juicy!

There are plenty of reasons to love this cooking method, but if you’re a busy mama, you’ll love these:

Sheet pan meals mean less dishes to wash. Since everything needs to roast in the oven for the same amount of time, it can all cook together!

Full roasted flavor in a shorter amount of cooking time.

A roasted chicken is special enough to serve to dinner guests. There’s something sort of fancy about roasts, whether it’s a pot roast, pork tenderloin, or a roast spatchcock chicken.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Fortunately, all of the ingredients in this recipe are super simple to find at any time of the year.

• whole fryer chicken: Small to medium sized chickens are easier to butterfly, so look for a bird that’s between 3.5 and 4 pounds.
• olive oil: If you need a substitute, good options are high smoke point oils like avocado oil or ghee.
• seasoning: This recipe calls for salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano, but you can adapt this recipe to use any flavors you enjoy. Rosemary, thyme, sage, and dill are tasty options.
• produce: As long as the veggies are similar, you can substitute the sprouts and potatoes with any root vegetables you like. Some good choices are peeled and diced carrots, butternut squash, and broccoli florets.

How to Spatchcock Chicken

You’ll be surprised at how simple this technique is! It only takes about 2-3 minutes in total. Even novice cooks can learn this skill, but if you’d rather skip it, just ask a butcher to spatchcock the chicken for you!

1. Clean the bird. Trim away any excess fat, then use a few paper towels to pat the skin and cavity dry.
2. Place the chicken, breasts facing down, on a sturdy cutting board.
3. Cut out the backbone. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut along one side of the backbone from end to end. Then, cut along the other side of the backbone, removing about about 1 inch of spine in width.
4. Completely remove the spine section from the chicken. Either save the backbone to use for making chicken stock, or discard it.
5. Flip the bird over and flatten it. Lay the whole chicken breast side up, then use your hands to press down firmly, flattening the chicken. You’ll hear a crack, and that means the chicken is properly spatchcocked! You can tuck the wings underneath or not (I don’t).

Dry Marinating the Bird

1. Season and marinate the chicken. Lay the spatchcock chicken on a parchment or foil-lined sheet pan. Be sure that it’s dry, then rub it all over with oil and seasonings. Use your fingers to rub it under the skin too.
   
   Place it on the bottom shelf of your fridge for at least 30 minutes. You want to allow enough time for the spices to work into the meat.
   
   Pro Tip: Unlike cuts of beef and pork, there are no thick ligaments and tendons to tenderize in poultry like chicken and turkey. So, the only reason to marinate chicken is to add flavor. For this reason, it’s best to marinate chicken for no longer than 2-3 hours. After that, the meat begins to break down, which can give it an unpleasant, rubbery texture.

2. Prep the vegetables. While the butterflied chicken marinates, wash the veggies. Remove the large stems from the Brussels sprouts and cut each one in half. If you want to peel the potatoes, go ahead. Otherwise, just cut them into bite size pieces. Cut the lemon into quarters.
3. Preheat your oven to 450 F.
4. Season the veggies and arrange them on a sheet pan. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl, and toss with the remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables and lemon pieces on the sheet pan.

Set in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature, taken at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 163°F.

As it rests for 5 to 10 minutes, the internal temperature of the roasted chicken will increase another 2-3 degrees, reaching a safe internal temperature of 165°F.

Grilling a Spatchcock Chicken

Oven roasting isn’t the only cooking option! If you’d like, you can grill the bird instead.

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, and place the rack about 5 inches from the flame.
2. Lightly brush the grill with oil, then place the seasoned chicken skin side down on the grill and close the cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the skin is starting to crisp and it easily releases from the grill grates.
3. Flip the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to test the temperature is at least 165°F. at the thickest part of the thigh.

Storing Leftovers

If you have roasted chicken leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Alternately, you can freeze the meat to use within 4 months, per USDA. To repurpose the leftover chicken, make my Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers!

2025 Update: This recipe is still a family favorite! It has been updated to simplify the cooking instructions and add helpful cooking tips for our readers. We hope you love it as much as we do!