Pressed for time? Need to prepare a feast fit for a king at short notice? Then you can always resort to the best butterfly chicken recipes.
After making these recipes, the only thing you will regret is not having learnt them earlier.
Don’t be too surprised if you find your guests rapturously clucking your praises after ravenously consuming terrific butterfly chicken recipes.
With these delectable recipes you will be churning out unbelievably good-tasting gourmet cuisine in hardly 1.5 hours. Who said that cooking epicurean masterpieces is time-consuming and tedious?
What Is Butterflied Chicken?
Butterflying is the same as the spatchcock method of preparing chicken for grilling. The spatchcock method has been explained in detail in this website. You can refer the article for full details. Once you understand how it’s done, you will then be ready to make the most mouth-watering butterfly chicken recipes.
The term butterfly is nothing more than a synonym for spatchcock. Butterflied chicken called as such since it looks wide and flat like a butterfly when it is laid out.
The advantage of this technique is that the chicken will cook more evenly during grilling and it will cook faster.
Here are the best butterfly chicken recipes without further ado.
Butterflied Roast Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 chicken (4 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds (crushed)
- 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper (ground)
- 1 large shallot (peeled and sliced in half)
- Parsley (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 large carrots (peeled and chopped to 1 inch pieces)
- 5 fingerling potatoes (cut in half)
Instructions
Set your pellet grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a pellet grill, you can do this on your oven, though you will miss the terrific smoke flavor. Rather than using a metal sheet pan as mentioned in the instructions below, you can use a frying pan.
If you are using a pellet grill, you will need the Camp Chef sear box to cook the surface of the chicken to a golden brown crisp. This is an essential accessory for pellet grills since it enables them to quickly sear food.
Put the butterflied chicken on a clean working surface with the skin side facing upwards. Sprinkle the chicken with fennel seeds and rosemary. Follow it up with a sprinkling of salt and pepper as per your taste.
Place the butterflied chicken on a metal sheet pan.
You can also roast your vegetables alongside the chicken. In a bowl, toss in the shallot, carrots and potatoes. Pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper as per your preference. Mix everything in the bowl thoroughly until all vegetables are mixed with olive oil.
Empty all ingredients of the bowl into the metal sheet pan that is holding the butterflied chicken.
Transfer the tray to the pellet grill or oven and roast it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The chicken will be ready in about an hour and 15 minutes.
Using an instant-read thermometer, follow the internal temperature of the butterflied chicken. Insert the probe inside the thickest part of the chest piece. The chicken will be ready when the probe registers a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The vegetables will also be cooked and ready by then.
It is now time to quick sear the chicken for the golden brown crispy exterior.
Coat the surface of your butterflied chicken with olive oil. Turn up the sear box to medium-high heat. Place the chicken with its skin side down on a sheet pan and transfer it to the sear box. Allow it to sear till the skin becomes golden brown and crispy. The process should take you about 5 minutes.
You now need to give your vegetables the final touch so that you have a buttery and delectable side dish along with the chicken.
Using a wooden spoon, scrape out the vegetable bits stuck to the bottom of the sheet pan. Transfer the contents of the sheet pan to a frying pan.
Keep the frying pan on medium heat. Pour in the white wine to cook the vegetables further. Use the wooden spoon to scrape out any bits that may be stuck at the bottom.
When the vegetables are cooked, you can add in the butter for richer taste.
Transfer the vegetables to a platter and cover with a foil to keep them warm.
The chicken and vegetables are now ready for serving. If you like, you can sprinkle the vegetable broth with chopped parsley.
Butterflied Chicken with Quick Jus
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken (about 4 to 5 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper (freshly ground)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 cup sherry or dry vermouth
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup rib celery (chopped)
- ½ cup medium carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1 cup onions (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons each of chopped oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsely, savory and marjoram
Instructions
While this recipe is best made on a pellet grill for the rich smoky touch, you can use an oven if you don’t have one. But it will certainly be a wise idea to get yourself a pellet grill so that you don’t miss out on the best possible flavor.
Set the thermostat of your pellet grill to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and start it up.
Place the butterflied chicken on a sheet pan. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the butterflied chicken.
Place 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper (ground) and a tablespoon of kosher salt in a small bowl. Mix up all ingredients well. Sprinkle this mixture all over the chicken.
If you are using herbs, then you can also spray these onto the chicken. Give the chicken a good rub to spread the ingredients evenly throughout its surface on the skin side.
You can now smoke your butterflied chicken in the pellet grill. Make sure that you are using an instant-read thermometer to keep track of the internal temperature. Insert the probe so that it pierces the thickest part of the chest. When the heat probe shows a temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit, then the chicken is ready.
You can easily prepare the vegetables in a saucepan. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil in the saucepan. Keep the saucepan on high heat and wait for the oil to start sizzling. You can then add the chicken spine that you got from your butterflied chicken. Cook it till it turns a rich brown. This will take you about 3 minutes. Keep stirring frequently to avoid burning it.
You can now toss in the celery, carrots and onions. Keep stirring these vegetables frequently. They will turn into a deep brown in around 3 minutes. You can now include the bay leaf. Deglaze with sherry or vermouth and a cup of water. You should have a wooden spoon in hand to scrape out any browned bits that adhere to the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the heat so that the blend starts simmering. Keep it simmering for around 20 minutes. Strain out solid constituents so that only the liquid remains.
Now boil this liquid over medium-high heat for around 7 minutes. Keep boiling it till only a third of a cup remains (this will be about 80 ml). Take this liquid off the heat when it boils down to this amount. You can now add in lemon juice, butter and soy sauce. Whisk it all well so that you get a homogenous mixture.
Add salt and pepper as per your preference.
When the internal temperature of the chicken has reached its mark, take it out of the pellet grill. Put it on a cutting board and cover it with a foil. Let it rest for a few minutes before carving it. Serve this chicken with the hot jus.
This recipe is so simple to make and is ready in just about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Butterflied Chicken Marinated in Garlic, Lemon and Thyme
Ingredients
- 1 butterflied chicken weighing 3 pound
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
- Salt
- Black pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 pinch pepper flakes (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon onions (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (grated)
- 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoon thyme leaves (chopped)
Take out a big baking dish and add in the onions, lemon zest (1 tablespoon), thyme (2 tablespoons), garlic (2 tablespoons) and half cup oil. Whisk all of these ingredients together.
Marinate the butterflied chicken in the mixture and refrigerate it. Let it rest for up to 8 hours to bring out the maximum intensity in flavor. If you are in a hurry, then 2 hours is possible although you may not get to enjoy the full taste. Remember to turn the chicken so that both sides absorb the mixture.
Preheat your pellet grill to a medium temperature setting. Take out your marinated chicken from the refrigerator and season it will salt and pepper as per your taste.
Keep the chicken on a sheet pan with the skin side down and then place it inside the grill. Smoke the chicken till its skin becomes golden brown. When that happens, you can turn it over.
An instant-read thermometer will tell you when the chicken is ready. Pierce the probe into the thickest part of the chest. When the thermometer gives a temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit, then your chicken is fully cooked.
Take the chicken out from the grill when the internal temperature rises to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover it loosely with foil to keep it warm. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving it.
After you have cut the chicken, you can sprinkle the remaining lemon zest, thyme and garlic.
Special Spice Rub Flavored Chicken
This recipe calls for the use of a special spice rub. So first, here is a look at the rub itself.
Spice Rub Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon black pepper (ground)
- 1 tablespoon bay leaf (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon basil (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon oregano (crushed and dried)
- 1 tablespoon thyme (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon rosemary (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons sage (crushed and dried)
- 1 tablespoons parsley (crushed)
Spice Rub Instructions
Grind all ingredients to a powder in a blender and store it in an airtight container. Your special spice rub is ready. It is as simple as that.
Dry Brining Butterflied Chicken
If you will notice, there is no salt in the rub. You need to include salt via dry brining the butterflied chicken.
The dry brining process will make the meat tender, moist and succulent. It works be tenderizing the meat, improving its flavor and making it better at retaining water.
You can dry brine any meat to attain these qualities. But you will get the most profound results with chicken and turkey.
Dry brining is a very simple process. For chicken, you just have to apply half a teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat on the surface of the chicken. You don’t even need to remove the skin. The skin will absorb the salt and allow it to tenderize the meat, make it juicy and enhance the taste.
After dry brining the butterflied chicken, allow it to rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Instructions for Special Spice Rub Flavored Chicken
You will need the Camp Chef sear box for this recipe if you are working on a pellet grill. The Camp Chef sear box is an essential accessory for your pellet grill since it empowers your pellet grill to quick sear the surface of the meat to a crispy delicious crust.
Apply water to the surface of the chicken. Sprinkle the rub generously on the butterflied chicken. Sprinkled water lets the chicken hold on to the spice rub.
Fire up your pellet grill to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a good temperature for browning the skin and melting the fat.
Use a good temperature probe to measure the internal temperature of the meat. When the meat reaches a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, you can take it out from the grill and quick sear it in the Camp Chef sear box. Follow the temperature to make sure that the chicken is well-cooked. The BBQ is ready when the meat probe gives 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your butterflied chicken is now ready to be served.
Here are some side dishes that will make a fantastic addition to the chicken recipes.
Buttery Garlic Rice
If you are thinking that potatoes will make a better choice than rice for chicken side dishes, then you are not alone.
But after trying out this buttery garlic rice recipe, you may soon join the legions of reformed cooks inclined to think otherwise.
The best part is that it is super simple to make. If you can boil water and melt butter then you can cook this side dish without a fuss.
Here is how it is done.
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice (long-grain)
- 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 6 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups water
Instructions
Keep the rice in a strainer and rinse it with running water. Make sure that the water leaving the strainer is completely clear. When the rice grains are washed, keep the strainer aside to allow the grains to drain.
Boil the water in an electric kettle or saucepan.
In a separate saucepan, melt the butter with medium heat. Add garlic slices to molten butter and cook them till they transform to a golden-brown texture. Keep swirling the pan to allow even heat distribution and to keep the garlic from charring. Keep sautéing for 10 minutes. The garlic will exude a pleasant aroma.
Transfer the garlic chips to a plate and season them with salt.
Carefully add rice and salt to the saucepan. The rice will then start cooking in the butter. Keep stirring steadily till all the water evaporates from the rice. This will take about 2 minutes. At this point, the rice will have the fragrance of garlic and butter.
Pour in the boiling water into the saucepan being careful not to spill any of it. Reduce to low heat and place the cover over the saucepan. Keep cooking the rice in the water till it is fully absorbed. The rice will take around 18 minutes to soak up the water.
Steam the rice for 10 minutes. Place the rice in a plate and top it with garlic chips. Your rice dish is ready to serve alongside wonderful butterfly chicken recipes.