A nicely roasted chicken is probably my go-to menu for those days when I’m just too lazy to do anything or the many times I come home dead-tired from a crazy schedule yet I refuse to feed my kids anything junk.

So you take a whole chicken out, rub in some nice herbs and spices, and off it goes into the oven. And this all sounds easy peasy until an hour and a half later, just when everyone’s so “h-ANGRY”, you take your chicken out the oven, you give a little grin seeing your perfectly browned chicken with its nicely crisped skin, you bring it to the dinner table, and now your grin turns into a full smile as you proudly cut into the meat…into the still RAW meat. Horror, right?

I’ve had countless of horrors like this and it was so frustrating each time. I later learned that achieving perfection in roasting chicken can be quite tricky. Sometimes setting the oven temperature right is not a guarantee for that perfect golden roast we all want. Factors such as the size and the age of the chicken including the amount of fat it has greatly affects how well it can come out your oven.

So what’s the trick?…”Spatchcocking”. To spatchcock a chicken is basically cutting along the rib cage of the bird so that it is flat on the surface, like a “butterfly cut”. I absolutely love this method because not only does it result to a juicier meat and crispy skin but more importantly it cuts the cooking time by half! YES, half! This means your juicy, golden, perfectly roasted chicken is out the oven in less than 45 minutes!

This simple spatchcock chicken recipe is our favorite way of roasting a whole chicken. Simple ingredients. No marinating involved. Pair up with fried rice and gobble up!

This is definitely one of my best recipe picks for busy mommas!

Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole Chicken (Spatchcocked) *You can have your butcher already do this for you
  • 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Pepper
  • 1 whole Garlic *minced
  • Dried crushed Basil Leaves
  • Dried Rosemary Leaves
  • Baby Potatoes *cut in half
  • Fresh Green Beans *string removed
  • 1/2 cup Water *tenderizes and helps cook the chicken even faster

Instructions:

  1. Lay your chicken on a baking dish.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and rosemary. Rub on chicken.
  3. Pour water into the baking dish. Do not pour on top of the chicken or the rub might rinse off. Pour from the side of the baking dish instead.
  4. Bake uncovered in the oven preheated at 425F for 45 minutes. If using a thermometer, chicken is cooked when it starts reading 160C.
  5. Serve with your choice of carbs or salad! Enjoy!

Interested to know more about the the spatchcock method? Click here.

How did this recipe turn out for you? Let me know in the comments below!