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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! 🙂
45 minutes is just not long enough to cook the chicken, but otherwise this recipe is so good!
Took closer to 1hr 15 minutes to cook
Hi LeeAnn! It could be the size of chicken used (ours was 4.5lbs), but be sure to fully preheat the oven. I recommend using an Internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to see when the oven is fully preheated. It could take a few mins longer depending on the oven, but 30mins is quite a difference.
Pretty easy but the chicken didn’t get nice and brown on the outside by the time the inside was cooked
Hi Chiara! The size of your chicken and the placement of the oven rack can also affect this. Be sure to fully preheat your oven to ensure it gets to the correct temperature. We’ve had great success with the outside getting golden and crisp at this temperature and time. I recommend using an internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to check the temperature. I hope that helps if you make this again.
Lots of comments so I may have missed an answer. Could this chicken recipe be done on a grill minus the veggies?
Hi Mary, this specific recipe is best made in the oven. I bet it could work on a grill with a few adjustments. If you happen to try that, please let me know how you like it.
I’ve made this many times and it always turns out delicious.
So glad you love this recipe, Jen! Thank you.
Hi Natasha. Excited I’m going to make this tonight for my gourmande granddaughter. My chicken is organic and as you probably know they have very dense meat. Wondering about temperatures… is there a formula for adjusting times? Love your recipes!!!
Hi Angela, it’s hard to say what the adjustment may need to be for that. We try to buy organic also. I recommend either having an oven safe probe in or checking the internal temp closer to the end of bake time. I hope you love this recipe!
Absolutely the tastiest chicken i have ever made. The meat was moist and the drippings, the drippings you could just drink
Thakns so much for your great comments and review!
Followed the instructions only to find my chicken skin burnt and the internal temp still only 140. The veggies have no color but are cooked. Now I’m trying to cook the meat without further burning the skin which means wrapping in foil so now the skin will be soggy.
Hi Autumn. I’m sorry to hear that. We’ve had great success with the recipe as written. It sounds like it could possibly be an issue with the oven or oven temperature. This recipe is written for a conventional oven using regular bake mode. Foil will help however, if your heating element is at the top of the oven, you’ll want to lower the oven rack so it’s not too close to the heating element. I also highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer (affiliate link) to check the temperature of your oven and see if it is calibrated correctly. I hope that helps.
I want to make this but I hope this isn’t a dumb question: I want to bake this without veggies – like will it change the time etc?
Hi Theresa! Yes, you can still follow instructions as directed.
Tender, juicy and with all of my seasonings, delicious. I can always depend on you, Natasha. I did set my oven at 400 degrees and roasted my chicken for 50 minutes. Yummy!
Hi Robin! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you!
I’m wondering how long you’d need to cook for a 3 lb chicken? Would the temp stay at 425?
Hi Kathy, I would keep the temperate the same at 425 degrees, but watch the chicken internal temp towards the end there since it’s smaller it may require less bake time. 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.
Natasha’s Spatchcock Chicken is seriously the most delicious chicken I’ve ever made. We don’t like brussel sprouts so I eliminated them and added a large onion cut into eighths. The potato’s and carrots are so delicious. The carrots were so yummy they tasted like candy. Next time, I’ll add more. I roasted it in in my convection oven on 400, and it came out perfect after 45 minutes. I made it last night just for my husband and me. We’re looking forward to eating it again this evening.
Hi Nancy! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the recipe!
Recipe was good. Website is obnoxious. At least on my phone. Constantly kept auto audjusting to the intro of the recipe so i had to constantly scroll back down and find my last place. That was annoying.
Thank you for your feedback, Sean. We’re always working on improving our website and your comments and feedback will help.
You make this look so easy. I am sure it is a more involved procedure. Looks wonderful, tho.
Do not understand all the high ratings for this recipe. The carrots were burnt, dried up and not cooked as was the case with the potatoes and sprouts.
HI Mark, this is one of our popular recipes and I”m always happy to help troubleshoot. The veggies should be golden brown in spots but not burnt unless they were cut very small or the chicken was unusually large and took longer, or the other thing that comes to mind is make sure you aren’t baking this on convection oven settings which would need time/temperature adjustments.
We have made this type chicken many times in a big cast iron pan. We cooked it at 400 convection roast and it was only 147 degrees in the thigh after one hour. This alwas takes longer than the time listed.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Craig!
I absolutely love making this recipe. Only modification I make is par-boiling the potatoes about 10 minutes. They turn out much more tender.
Thank you for sharing, Steve! I’m glad you love it. 🙂
I have made this recipe several times. It is easy and so delicious.
Thank you Natasha.
You’re welcome, Marion! I’m so glad you love the recipe. 🙂
I am making this tonight but my family does not like brussel spouts so about midway through baking I’m going to try adding broccoli spears. Hope it works!
Hi Elizabeth! I hope the recipe turned out great. 🙂
This looks delicious! Could you do this with just bone in chicken breasts?
Hi Dana, that should work, but I would double-check the internal temperature as it cooks.
Did the chicken recipe yesterday was good if I was to make again would cut amount of butter and would not add oil on top of vegetables I think with chicken fat dripping would be more then enough.
Thank you for sharing, Yvette!