Roast Lemon and Thyme Spatchcock Chicken

November 1, 2015 Laura

I recently wrote about my new stove and cooktop from KitchenAid (you can see it here). Well, not new new but almost new. It’s actually been the better part of a year that I’ve been plugging away on my new office equipment. (Sorry, food blogger humor.) I wrote about how my oven’s impressive list of cooking settings (including pro pastry settings for baking croissants and sponge cake) and each one pretty much dazzles me with their cooking chops. However, it may be kind of boring of me to say, I love the roasting setting the most. Scouts honour, the oven roasts the most beautiful food. (I guess the built-in meat probe probably also has something to do with the juicy perfection of the meat.) And luckily I have the an easy and delicious roasted chicken recipe up my sleeve.

When it comes to weekday dinners, it may seem like roasting a whole chicken is totally off limits but not if you have a spatchcocked chicken. Essentially, the whole bird minus the backbone so it can be flattened, a spatchcock chicken cooks more evenly and in less time; allowing the meat to remain moist. Voila, making it more appealing for a weeknight. (Ok, if you have only 30 minutes to dinner you’re not parading this recipe out for the meal but it’s not your Sunday roast either.)

For the past few months, I have been roasting a spatchcocked bird almost weekly because it’s so darn easy. I literally throw the bird on a pan with whole cloves of garlic and potatoes then, within 40 minutes, I have a complete dinner. I also know that the leftover meat will yield lunches or another dinner the next night. I’m fortunate to have a butcher in my area that removes the backbone for me but if you’ve need to remove the backbone for yourself, check out our video here. It’s not as hard as you think. It just requires more time.

Photo by Maya Visnyei

Roast Lemon and Thyme Spatchcock Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves 6

Ingredients

Makes: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
1 3- 4 lb. spatchcock chicken
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
the juice of large lemon
zest of half a lemon
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh chopped thyme
1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 lb. new potatoes, halved
1 bulb of garlic, cloves peeled
1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
salt

Method

Preheat oven to 425.

In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme and oregano.

Place chicken breast side up on a large roasting pan and brush herb mixture onto the whole surface of the chicken. (If you have the time, you can also allow the chicken to marinate in this mix in an extra large plastic bag for an hour.)

Season the chicken with 1 Tbsp (15 ml) salt and 1/2 tsp (2ml) pepper.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss your potatoes, garlic cloves, oil and ½ tsp (2 ml) salt.

Scatter the potatoes and garlic around the chicken in a single layer.

Roast in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the breast reaches 165 degrees.

Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Carve and serve with potatoes, garlic and a side salad.

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