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This Spatchcock Chicken recipe is our favorite way to roast a whole chicken. Every part of the roasted chicken turns out juicy and so flavorful with that garlic herb butter (the same one we use on our roasted turkey!). This one pan chicken dinner is easy and so delicious!
There is no marinating or lengthy prep required. This is simple enough for a busy weeknight but it’s also a crowd-pleaser and perfect for company!
The potatoes, carrots and Brussels sprouts roast along with the chicken. This blend of vegetables bakes to perfection and every bite is supremely flavorful. The potatoes have a crisp salty skin with a creamy inside and these were some of the best tasting Brussels sprouts I’ve tried.
Watch the video on how to Spatchcock a Chicken and prepare this easy one-pan chicken dinner – one of our favorite whole chicken recipes!
Watch how to Spatchcock Chicken Video:
A whole roasted chicken can be tricky because the chicken breast can quickly dry out by the time the dark meat is cooked through, but when you butterfly a chicken (spatchcock), the chicken breast sits lower in the pan on the same level as the legs so it bakes more evenly and results in a juicy, moist and flavorful chicken.
Ingredients for Spatchcock Chicken Recipe:
For this recipe, you will need a 4 to 4 1/2 lb whole chicken. Allow the raw chicken to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using for more even baking. The flavored butter is incredible and makes every bite memorable. We it in several of our recipes because it just works. See the full print-friendly list of ingredients in the recipe card below.
Ingredients for 1-Pan Chicken Dinner:
To make this a one-pan meal, we add potatoes, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Everything roasts together and you don’t have to toss or flip anything while it is roasting in that amazing flavored butter.
How to Spatchcock Chicken:
1. (Preheat Oven to 425˚F after step 4) Place chicken breast-side down with the wings/ neck facing towards you. Use kitchen shears to cut through the ribs right next to the spine on both sides to remove spine.** Open the rib cage and use a heavy chefs knife to score down the sternum. This will help to pop out the breast bone and flatten the chicken. Season under the chicken with about 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of black pepper.
**Keep the spine and bones from the roasted chicken after it is carved and use them for the best homemade chicken bone broth!
2. Flip the chicken over with the breast side up and place on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking half sheet. Using the palm of your hand, push firmly over the breast bone so the chicken lays completely flat. You want it to lay flat so all parts of the chicken bake evenly. Separate the skin from the meat over breast, thigh and drumstick areas.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the flavored butter ingredients and mash together with a fork for a couple of minutes until most of the lemon juice is incorporated into the butter.
4. Spread 2/3 of it under the chicken skin and spread and dot remaining butter all over the chicken.
5. Place prepared vegetables all around the chicken then drizzle all over with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and some black pepper to taste.
6. Bake uncovered at 425˚F for 45 minutes or until instant read thermometer registers 160˚F when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Don’t over-bake or the breast will be dry. Keep in mind the temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees after it comes out of the oven. Remove form oven and rest uncovered 10 minutes on a cutting board before serving.
More One-Pan, Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas:
Here are some of the reader favorite chicken recipes on our blog.
- One Pan Chicken Breast and Veggies Dinner
- Avocado Chicken Salad (Wildly Popular!)
- 15 One-Pan Dinners for Lazy Nights
⬇Print-friendly Spatchcock Chicken Recipe:
Spatchcock Chicken Recipe Video
Ingredients
Ingredients for Spatchcock Chicken Recipe:
- 4 1/4 lb whole chicken, *
- 1/2 tsp salt, (we used sea salt)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Ingredients for Flavored Butter:
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle
- 1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for vegetables
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Ingredients for 1-Pan Chicken Dinner:
- 2 lbs medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered
- 8 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Instructions
- (Preheat oven to 425˚F after step 4). Place chicken breast-side down with the wings/ neck facing towards you. To remove the spine, use kitchen shears to cut through the ribs right next to the spine along both sides. Open rib cage and use a heavy knife to score down the sternum. This will help pop out the breast bone and flatten chicken. Season inside the chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of black pepper.
- Flip the chicken over breast side up and set on parchment-lined, rimmed baking half sheet. Using the palm of your hand, push firmly over the breast bone forcing the chicken to lay completely flat. Use your thumbs to separate the skin from the meat over breast, thigh and drumstick areas.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the flavored butter ingredients. Mash with fork for a couple of minutes until lemon juice is mostly incorporated into butter.
- Spread 2/3 of mixture under the chicken skin and and dot/spread remaining butter all over chicken.
- Place prepared vegetables all around the chicken and drizzle everything with olive oil. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables generously with salt and some black pepper to taste.
- Bake uncovered at 425˚F for 45 min or until instant read thermometer reads 160˚F when inserted into thickest part of chicken breast**. Remove form oven and rest uncovered 10 minutes on a cutting board before serving.
Notes
**Don't over-bake or the breast will be dry. Keep in mind internal temp will rise another 5-10 degrees after it comes out of oven.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Have you tried this method for roasting a whole chicken? I hope you’re excited about making it after watching this video!! If you try it, let me know how you liked loved it! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. It came out well and it was tasty. The only issue I had was the potatoes were sitting in the liquid that inevitably is released when a chicken is roasted. I thought a shallow cookie sheet would allow it to evaporate especially with the high cooking temperature, but no such luck. I had to remove the chicken once cooked, pour off the juices from the pan and continue to cook the potatoes to allow them to crisp.
Hi Ro, I haven’t run into that issue, but make sure your oven is fully preheated when you put the chicken in. Usually the amount of juices released add flavor to the veggies but should not be watery to the point where the veggies don’t crisp.
This chicken was AMAZING!! Will definitely be making it again.so tender and juicy, the flavored butter is perfect!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Amanda!
This is THE recipe. I’m so glad I never need to look up another “how do I cook spatchcock chicken” recipe again <3 I've used this 3 times in a row and it's a winner. Thank you!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Caroline!
Me too! My family loves this recipe! The vegetables are delicious!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Great chicken. Next time I will blanch sprouts and carrots they were to hard.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Horst!
I don’t have a big enough flat pan for this, but I do have a more traditional roasting pan.
Would I have to adjust timing and temperature? If so, any suggestions?
Hi Sari, I believe you can. Spatchcocking will cause it to cook faster so for that, I would highly recommend using an in-oven thermometer to test for doneness. I don’t think you’ll have to adjust the temperature, just the time.
Amazing Thank you!
Made as part of our “NoToWar” dinner with Australian /European friends in Australia. Along with Russian Sharlotka and creamy cucumber salad. Thank you!
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Thank-you so much or your delicious recipes. I made the Spatchcock Chicken yesterday and it turned out fantastic. Your videos are fun to watch and a great learning tool.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying my videos, Liz! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Best chicken – cooks faster than keeping it whole and it’s so juicy! It’s my go-to quick chicken dinner now
Thanks for the review, Jessica. Great to hear that you loved this and it is now your new go-to recipe for chicken.
OH. SO. GOOD. My first spatchcock chicken (bought it that way), and it was delicious! The flavored butter made it perfect. Thank you!
Glad you loved it, Susan!
This recipe is outstanding. Followed it to the “t”. Added mushrooms and skipped the Brussels sprouts (for my husband). It was so perfect!
Yum! Craving this now! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
can i do this at a lower temp and for longer, ie: low and slow
thanks
Hi Flo, We prefer it this way, allowing for a nice crispy golden skin. A low and slow cooking technique may work here, I’d love to know how you like it if you test that out.
I’m a pretty confident cook at 63 but the absolute beautiful simplicity of this recipe was out of this world! Yes, I had some different veggies…sweet peppers, onions and yellow potatoes but the highlight was the exquisite chicken. Incredibly perfect!
Thank you, Julie, so happy to hear that. And thank you for the review!
I used an heirloom chicken, and this recipe was the most flavorful and delicious way to roast it.
Fantastic!
Yum! That sounds amazing! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Thank you for this easy to follow recipe. Made the chicken tonight for supper. It was very juicy and absolutely delicious. A keeper!
Hi Nadia, you are most welcome. Great to hear that it turned out delicious, thank you for the review!
This is a winner. I had a large chicken in the freezer and wondered how I’d fix it. It had been there a while so came across this and said what the heck. And I actually had most of the ingredients and didn’t worry about what I didn’t have. It turned out fantastic. Even better the next night sliced and quickly seared in a skillet. The veggies were amazing. Thanks so much.
You’re most welcome, David. Thanks for choosing this recipe to try and I’m glad you loved it!
Thank you for another great recipe Natasha! We had this tonight and it was amazing….and yesterday we had your cabbage soup recipe! Keep those recipes coming! They are SOOOOOO good.
I will definitely share more recipes that you can try. Thanks for the wonderful review, JoAnn!
This was so delicious!! It was perfect. I changed up the veggies a bit, cause I don’t always have red potatoes, so used sweet potato and yellow potato. Still sooo good.
Hi Kristina, those are good substitutes. Thanks for trying out this recipe, I’m glad you loved it!
I love all your recipes and videos. I made this for dinner. The vegetables were delicious. The chicken was too. However, the skin did not crisp up like I wanted. I followed the recipe. Any suggestions?
Hi Eva, I would ensure your oven is calibrated correctly and bakes at the right temperature; some ovens can vary. Otherwise, if no ingredients or steps were substituted, it’s hard to say what went wrong without being there.
I left my chicken (after spatchcocking) with both sides salted in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to baking. I took the chicken out 30 minutes prior to putting it in the oven and applied the butter mixture under the skin and on the top of the chicken. The open air refrigeration with the salt brine allows the salt to penetrate the meat for great flavor but also promotes the skin to ‘shrivel up’ which helps it to crisps quickly in the oven.
This recipe is such a winner! I have been making it every week for my family for several months now. Even my very picky son loves it! The chicken is always juicy and flavorful, and the veggies come out deliciously caramelized. It is a quick weeknight meal that is nutritious and delicious, with very little cleanup. I’ve told everyone I know about this recipe and they all love it too! Thank you so much Natsha!
Hello there, thanks for the fantastic review! I’m happy to know that your family especially your picky son enjoyed this chicken recipe!
thanks for another great recipe! your are my go to bookmark.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Thomas!
One of my favorite recipes to make…. it is such a hit with my family…. I have a convection oven… not sure what temperature I should use to roast the chicken…
Hi Teresa! I’m glad you love this recipe! The recipe is written for a conventional oven on regular bake mode. I have not tested this in the convection oven to advise on time/temperature changes. You may try researching a recipe that uses this method. Sorry, I can’t be more help.