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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! 🙂
Hi! I am planning to make this tomorrow. I have made it once before with a 4lb chicken but tomorrow I have one that’s nearly 8 pounds. What adjustments should I make for the size difference? Thank you!
Hi Christine, it will take significantly longer to bake an 8lb chicken so you might consider putting your vegetables on a separate roasting pan and remove them from the oven when they are finished roasting. Also, I highly recommend using an oven-safe thermometer to gauge when to remove your chicken.
I buy my whole chickens cut up into 8 pieces, you think it could still work?
Hi Leslie, it would probably bake faster and the skin wouldn’t hold the butter as well since you can’t stuff it underneath, but I think that could work.
My husband who is so…, picky gave it a thumbs up. I thought it was absolutely delicious. It was so juicy and full of flavor! Thank you!
So glad to hear that Laurie. Thanks for your great feedback!
Best. Chicken. Ever.
Thank you!
Made this for my parents and brother and they devoured it! The recipe was so easy and the instructions on how to cut the chicken were very clear.
I love your blog! My sister and I also did the lasanga, the molten cake, filet mignon. Everything was so amazing!
That is so awesome, thank you for sharing that with us Sandra. I’m so happy to know that you have loved all the recipes that you tried.
Natasha, I dearly love your recipes and I have tried quite a few. This recipe was very good, but the vegetables were not as tender as I would have liked. I would suggest baking the vegetables in a different pan , covered with foil. They were much more tender and flavorful.
Hi Mary, thanks for sharing your tip. It would also help to make sure the vegetables are cut smaller. If they are cut too large, they can take longer to roast.
If I could give this 20 stars, I would. Love the step-by-step on how to prep the chicken. The seasoning and instructions are SPOT ON. Perfect recipe just as is. Mine turned out amazing! Perfect color, smelled up my whole house. My family loved it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Fabulous recipe – I cheated & for my butcher to spatchcock the chicken & kept the bones to make chicken in slow cooker overnight.
Took advice from another review & added parsnip & red onion.
Smells amazing too.
Thanks for the recipe 👍
That’s nice, thank you for the tip!
I’ve done this a few times now and it’s always a winner, easy and yummy.
Sounds like this has become one of your favorites. Thanks for sharing!
This chicken came out amazing. New favorite for the whole family. My husband said it was better than the grilled chicken he had in a fancy French restaurant
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Great recipe very simple but offers a lot of customization with the compound butter if you want to get creative!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
We grilled the spatchcock chicken outside and it was amazingly good. The video was great and explained everything well. I liked seeing how to lift the skin, insert the lumps of (amazingly tasty) butter and spread it around inside. We just put the chicken directly on the grill, indirect heat, and it was fabulous. I will your full recipe in a pan with vegetables another day.
Thanks for your great feedback, Camille. Thanks for watching the video and trying out this recipe!
I made this tonight and it was excellent. So tasty and not difficult to make. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Wonderful! Thank you for giving this recipe a try and for your excellent feedback.
Love this recipe, especially the mix that goes under the skin.
I like to cover the chicken with kosher salt and place uncovered in the fridge to dry out the skin to make it crispier.
Your videos are fun……..
I’m so glad to hear that! The butter mix is our favorite also! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes, Brian!
I made this 5x now and its really juicy and deliciously yummy..but i brine the chicken first..dont love brussel sprout thou.Thank you natashia for this..GoDbless
Nice! Sounds like this has become one of your favorite recipes. Thank you for your excellent review!
This chicken came out beyond good! Thank you. I’ve finally found a way to make a roasted chicken thanks to you!
I love your feedback! Thank you for your great review and I hope you love every recipe that you try.
Came across this recipe and as we all are trying new recipes with what we have in our pantry and frig. this fit the bill. I also added some argula pesto that I made with my friends bountiful garden overgrown with arugula. Im letting my chicken sit all day in frig with the spread along with my additions… let you know how it tastes… It look delicious!
just got it out of the oven, sitting but I couldn’t wait…. just one bite …YUmmy!!
Yum! I bet your home smells so good! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I have made it many times and each time it turns out wonderful, I have shared it with family and everyone loves it.
I’m so glad! Thank you for that great review! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious recipe!
Next time that I’ll make it – it’ll be soon – I ‘ll try to cut the chicken through the middle of the breast – the Portuguese way.
Thank you for keeping us cooking delicious meals.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that, Clara! Thank you for sharing that review with me.
Tried this this evening, i had a spatchcock chicken and didn’t want a strong peri peri type flavour that I see so much of, I have to say the flavour wasnt too overpowering, it just seemed to bring the flavour of the chicken out with a beautiful burst, have definitely kept a note of this and will use again thankyou
You’re welcome! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe
It is in the oven again as I am dictating this. A month ago chickens were on sale at the grocery store oh, so I bought it and put it in the freezer. Forgot it was there! With the stores currently cleared out of lots of food, I found carrots, red beets and golden beets, turnips, and Brussels sprouts. No room for the potatoes! And yes, replying to the comment above, I think I washed my hands at least 15 times! LOL! That is a good reminder, especially in these times.
Great reminder! I’m so glad you found that sale and bought a few while they were still in stock!