SPICE RUBBED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN😍

Grandma’s famous roast chicken got a butterflied makeover, perfect for Sunday dinner yet fast enough for a weeknight too. If you’ve never spatchcocked a chicken, it’s when you take the backbone out and flatten it, allowing it to cook faster and more evenly - HELLO juicy chicken! Perfectly seasoned chicken, potatoes, and a dreamy sauce you’ll basically want to drink. You’ve gotta make this!

Tips:

• There’s two ways you can spatchcock your chicken: you can do it yourself, or you can ask your butcher to do it for you. Just be sure to save the backbone for stock! I like to keep mine in the freezer until I’m ready to use them.

• If you are spatchcocking or butterflying your whole chicken yourself, the first thing you are going to need are some heavy duty kitchen shears (like these). Place the chicken on a cutting board breast side down. Use your kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove the backbone and reserve for stock (it freezes well in a ziplock). Flip the chicken over and press firmly on the breast bone with your palms until you hear a crack and the chicken is as flat as possible.

• Potatoes: the potatoes come out soft cooking them under the chicken, which I then like to mash with the sauce to go along with the chicken. If you like your potatoes crispy, I’d recommend cooking them on a separate baking sheet with a little olive oil and seasonings.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

For the Perfect Spatchcock Roast Chicken:

• 1 3-4 lb organic whole chicken

• 2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces

• 1¼ cup chicken broth

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 7 peeled garlic cloves

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• ¼ cup olive oil

• Zest from 1 orange

• Zest from 1 lemon

• Salt to taste

• Lemons for serving

Directions:

For the Spiced Spatchcock Roast Chicken:

• If you are spatchcocking or butterflying your whole chicken yourself, the first thing you are going to need are some heavy duty kitchen shears (like these). Place the chicken on a cutting board breast side down. Use your kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove the backbone and reserve for stock (it freezes well in a ziplock). Flip the chicken over and press firmly on the breast bone with your palms until you hear a crack and the chicken is as flat as possible.

• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously with salt.

• Let it sit for about 10 minutes while you work on your spice rub. 

• Grind coriander seeds and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle, or use the bottom of a sauce pan or glass to break up the seeds into a rough powder.

• Transfer to a bowl with the red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, olive oil and orange and lemon zest.

• Pat the chicken dry again and rub the spice mix all over the chicken and under the skin as well.

• Let sit for about 15-20 minutes while your oven preheats to 450 degrees.

• In a cast iron skillet, whisk together chicken broth and tomato paste.

• Scatter garlic cloves and potatoes all over the skillet and place your chicken on top, breast side up. Tuck the wings behind the breast .

• Bake at 450 for about 40-45 minutes, basting halfway through or until an instant thermometer reads 155 (it will continue cooking as it rests).

• Once your chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken and potatoes to a board and tent with foil to let rest 10 minutes.

• Transfer your cast iron with the sauce remaining in it to a burner, bring to a boil then reduce on low for about 8-10 minutes, smashing the roasted garlic into the sauce.

• Serve the chicken with the sauce, potatoes, and your preferred vegetable for a delicious and hearty meal that tastes just as good for lunch all week!