Cutting a chicken and turkey like this is all the rage these days and for good reason. It helps the bird cook more evenly, as well as cutting your cooking time in half. It also gives you more opportunity to get more char on your bird which, let’s admit, is everyone’s favorite part. You can also roast these in the oven if you don’t have a grill and most stores will spatchcock the bird for you nowadays.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground Urfa pepper
- Zest and juice of 2 oranges
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One 4-pound whole chicken
- Duck fat spray or olive oil spray
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oregano, paprika, Urfa pepper and orange zest and juice. Drizzle in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Pat the chicken dry and turn it breast-side down on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears or a knife, cut the backbone out of the chicken, reserving it for stock. Flip the chicken so it’s breast-side up, then press down on it with your hands to flatten the bird.
- Put the chicken into a zip-top bag and pour in the marinade. Seal and massage to coat the chicken on all sides. Allow to marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours or up to 6 hours.
- Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Place the chicken on the direct heat side of the grill, skin-side down. Cook until the skin is charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and move the chicken to the indirect heat side of the grill. Cover the grill with a lid and cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Spray the chicken midway through cooking with the duck fat spray or olive oil spray. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 823 |
| Total Fat | 60 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 58 g |
| Cholesterol | 231 mg |
| Sodium | 1247 mg |
Reviews
So good and great left overs!
Up the Orange zest on this. Did not have Urfa so I subbed other spices
I spatchcock every bird, chicken Turkey. It is fool prove way to do your birds.
I do not have a grill, so I brown it in my cast iron and move my cast iron to the oven to finish the cooking process. I did marinate my chicken overnight.
And then I take out and let it sit in the refrig uncovered. It makes for a crispier skin. Once you spatchcock you will never go back!
I spatchcock every bird, chicken Turkey. It is fool prove way to do your birds.
I do not have a grill, so I brown it in my cast iron and move my cast iron to the oven to finish the cooking process. I did marinate my chicken overnight.
And then I take out and let it sit in the refrig uncovered. It makes for a crispier skin. Once you spatchcock you will never go back!
This was very tasty chicken, but I didn’t really get alot of the marinade flavor in the chicken. I marinated about 8 hours. I cooked this on the stove top, browned both sides for 3 minutes to get a nice crust; then transferred to a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 min. 400, seemed very hot; so I followed a similar recipe cooking instructions. I do love the spachcock method.