The tastiest spatchcocked chicken recipes will leave your delighted guests craving for more. These recipes are super quick and easy to make. Whether you want to feed a crowd of friends or fickle children, these recipes are sure to rouse hearts and minds – not to mention appetites as well!
Starting with the simplest recipes as usual, here is one that is as delicious as it is easy to make.
Spice-Rubbed Spatchcocked Chicken
In this recipe, you will marinate the spatchcocked chicken in brown sugar which will caramelize upon grilling to give an exotic flavor. The addition of the spice rub adds depth to the fantastic spatchcocked chicken, making it just plain awesome for all kinds of occasions. After grilling it well, you will have BBQ chicken with a tangy, spicy and sharp flavor that everyone will savor.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken up to 4 lbs
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico chili or ancho powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 2 bay leaves, shredded
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
The first step is to spatchcock the bird.
Mix the following in a bowl: bay leaves, allspice, pepper, oregano, mustard powder, paprika, chili powder, salt, salt, and sugar. After they are combined well, you can apply these mixed spices to your spatchcocked chicken. Cover both sides of the spatchcocked chicken: the interior as well as the side with the skin.
Place the chicken on a plate or baking sheet with its skin side facing up. You need to refrigerate the chicken for at least 2 hours. You will get the richest and deepest flavor by letting it rest for 24 hours.
Set your oven at 425 degrees. Transfer the chicken to the oven once it hits this temperature. The spatchcocked chicken should be kept on a baking sheet.
An instant-read thermometer will help you to cook the spatchcocked chicken to the right level of crispiness. The thermometer probe should go into the meatiest part of the chest.
Roast the chicken till it becomes tender. The chicken will be ready when the instant-read thermometer registers a temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
This process will take you about 40 to 50 minutes.
When the chicken is ready, take it out from the oven and cover it with foil. Allow the chicken to rest for around 10 minutes before serving it. Place lime wedges on the sides before serving it.
Although you can make this recipe easily in your oven, for best results and authentic smoke flavor, you should smoke it in the pellet grill.
Scrumptious Spatchcock Chicken the Easy Way
This recipe is nothing short of amazing considering the depth of taste that you get with such simplicity. The garlic butter herb imparts an enticing aroma and irresistible flavor to the chicken. Beginners will be pleased that it is very easy and quick to make. You don’t even need to marinate it or prepare it for a long period.
The great thing about this recipe is that it is a full meal. You don’t need to prepare a side dish separately. Everything cooks together and is ready at the same time.
Whether it is a busy weekend or dinner for distinguished guests, you can’t go wrong with this surefire winner.
Chicken Ingredients
- Whole chicken 4 ½ pounds
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Flavored Butter Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of margarine or unsalted butter
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Ingredients for Vegetables
- 8 ounces of Brussel sprouts (halved and trimmed)
- 3 medium carrots (quartered and peeled)
- 2 pounds medium-sized red potatoes (quartered and scrubbed)
First, you should spatchcock the whole chicken. Once that is done, you can then season the chicken with sea salt and black pepper. ½ teaspoon salt is enough and a pinch of black pepper will do just fine.
Keep the chicken on a rimmed baking half sheet with the chest side facing upwards. Separate the skin from the drumstick, thigh and chest area. You should not remove the skin completely or throw it away.
Take out a small mixing bowl. Put the flavored butter ingredients inside it and mix them all well. Use a fork to keep mashing them for a few minutes. Make sure that the lemon juice mixes well with butter and other ingredients.
Of course, you can dry brine chicken for up to 24 hours to bring out the most exquisite taste, tenderness, and moistness. If you choose to do this then do not use sea salt for seasoning the chicken when you are rubbing it with black pepper.
Apply two-thirds of this mixture under the skin that you separated from the chicken flesh. Rub the remaining flavored butter over the chicken.
Surround the chicken with vegetables. Drizzle olive oil on all ingredients including the chicken. If you prefer a stronger taste then you can sprinkle some more sea salt and black pepper.
Fire up your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. When it reaches this temperature, bake all ingredients inside the oven for about 45 minutes. The best way to be sure when the chicken is done perfectly is to use an instant-read thermometer. Sink the probe into the thickest part of the spatchcocked chicken’s chest. When the probe reads out 160 degrees Fahrenheit, then you can be certain that the chicken is well done.
The chicken and the vegetables are now ready to serve.
For best results, you should use a pellet smoker to infuse a tantalizing smoke flavor to your meal. An oven is simplest to use, but the pellet grill is ideal for avant-garde cooking.
Cornell Chicken
Last but not least is a tantalizing recipe that was pioneered by none other than the legend Bob Baker himself.
In case you did not know, Bob Baker was a food science professor who has the honor of innovating food items that we now take for granted. This includes poultry hot dogs, turkey ham and chicken nuggets. These meals were simply unheard of during the times when this distinguished food professor first introduced them.
As you would have guessed by now, poultry was his forte in which he excelled like no other.
But the most deeply appreciated thing that he ever introduced was his famous Cornell chicken recipe.
Just a few changes have been made to take an already fabulous recipe a notch further.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper (ground)
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
Poultry Seasoning Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 tablespoon black pepper (ground)
- 1 tablespoon dried marjoram
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 3 tablespoons dried sage
This seasoning is very simple to make. You just need to put all ingredients in a blender or use a mortar and pestle to grind them. Keep the seasoning in an airtight container.
Important Points
Quartering the bird is an improvement over spatchcocked chicken. Quartering is helpful since it separates the thigh and chest pieces. These parts tend to cook at different speeds. You can cook the thighs separately for thoroughness without letting the chest become too dry.
The sauce has the consistency of mayonnaise and it also has an egg. To make it completely safe from salmonella, you can heat the sauce to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
You will also need the Camp Chef sear box accessory to quick sear the chicken on your pellet grill. This versatile tool is a must-have to extend the cooking capabilities of your pellet grill to quick searing.
Here is how you go about it.
Instructions
Crack the egg open in a large bowl and use a hand mixer or balloon whisk to whip the yolk and egg white into a nice frothy mixture. While whisking it, keep adding oil. Keep adding the oil till you get a bright yellow, homogenous and thick mixture.
You should use a balloon whisk for this job since its wire strands are very effective at mixing ingredients that can be a little tricky to blend thoroughly.
Add in kosher salt and vinegar. Whisk these ingredients too to blend them completely. You will get a fine combination of marinade and brine which is also known as the brinerade.
Using a knife or fork, pierce the chicken skin a few times. These openings will allow the fat to escape during the cooking process. The skin will also turn golden and crispy.
Marinade the chicken for 24 hours using the brinerade liquid that you just prepared. You can refrigerate the chicken in zipper bags or even keep it in a pan or a bowl. Just note that if you go for the zipper bag, you will need more of the brinerade. Remember to keep turning the chicken every few hours so that all sides soak up the delicious liquid evenly.
Fire up your pellet grill to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle black pepper and poultry seasoning all over the marinated chicken before smoking it. Make sure that you have all sides covered for full flavor.
Keep the chicken pieces inside your pellet grill and shut the lid. You will need to baste the chicken with the brinerade every 5 or 10 minutes. Make sure that you dab the sauce on rather than painting the chicken. If you use long strokes as in painting, you might lose the poultry seasoning and the black pepper from the surface of the chicken. Remember to apply the brinerade to both sides of the chicken. You will need to turn the chicken pieces over to do this.
Keep cooking the chicken until all parts reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that you are using an instant-read thermometer to get the temperature right.
As soon as you reach the 150-degree internal temperature, stop basting. Do not baste any more of the brinerade since you will now be searing the chicken to pasteurize its surface.
Take the chicken pieces out the pellet grill and transfer them to the Camp Chef sear box. Make sure that the pieces are skin side down. Keep searing the chicken pieces for around 10 to 15 minutes making sure that they don’t get burned. The skin will begin to turn golden brown and crispy.
Flip over the pieces to the other side and keep searing for another 5 minutes.
Make sure that you do not skip the searing step. Not only is it necessary for taste and taste, but it is also important for killing off any possible salmonella bacteria that the brinerade may be carrying.
After the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, you can take the pieces out of the sear box. The pieces will now have an appetizing golden brownish crust.
The chicken is now ready for serving. You can include some of your favorite side dishes to make it filling and a full meal.
Warning!
Never judge a chicken by observing its color. The only accurate way to determine if it is safe for eating is to use an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then the chicken is safe for eating.
At this point, it is worth mentioning that Cornell Chicken tastes best with Syracuse Salt Potatoes with which it is traditionally served.
Syracuse Salt Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons of margarine or unsalted butter
- 2 pounds fingerlings, new potatoes or small waxy potatoes
- ½ pound salt
- ½ gallon water
White-skinned potatoes are standard with this dish. But if you prefer, you can also go for the red-skinned variety.
Feel free to use any kind of salt since the weight is mentioned in this recipe.
Thoroughly wash the potatoes. Scrub them using a sponge. Make sure that there is no soap left in the sponge. Remove any growing eyes or bad spots on the potatoes. However, you should leave the skin intact.
Bring the half-gallon water to a boil. Toss in the salt and stir till it dissolves. Slowly add the potatoes while being careful that the boiling water does not splash. You will need to boil the potatoes for about 20 to 30 minutes till they become soft and tender. You can check for tenderness by gently poking them with a fork. When they are ready, the fork will pierce the potatoes with ease.
When the potatoes are ready, you can take them out of the boiling water and drain them. Allow the spuds to sit for a few minutes. A slight layer of salt may become visible during this time.
Turn the burner to medium heat and put a hot pot over it. Include the butter and let it melt. You can now add the hot potatoes and stir them so that they absorb the butter.
When the potatoes are well-coated with butter, you can remove them from the heat and allow them to cool a little before serving.
If you did not realize, Syracuse salt potatoes are big potato chips, the only difference being that they are more buttery, fluffy and tastier. Enjoy them alongside the chicken with relish.
Related read: Best-Smoked Chicken Wing Recipes
Conclusion
When you serve the best-spatchcocked chicken recipes, take care of one thing. Make sure that you help yourself to a large serving at the outset, because the meal will certainly not last for long at the table.