We’re big fans of spatchcocking – that’s when the backbone of a chicken is removed and flattened out. The beauty of this extra step is that all parts of the chicken finish cooking at around the same time, so no more dry breast meat!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds) spatchcocked
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons and zest of 1
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- To spatchcock the chicken, use strong kitchen scissors or poultry shears and cut down either side of the spine. Pull out the spine, turn the chicken over and press down on the breast of the chicken to flatten it out to one thickness.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Put the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag in a rimmed dish. Pour in half of the marinade, reserving the rest for serving later. Seal the bag and rotate it around to evenly distribute the marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season generously all over with salt and pepper; let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off one of the middle burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer’s guide for best results.)
- Place the chicken skin-side up on the indirect side of the grill with the legs facing the hotter side. Cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (avoiding the bone) reads 150 to 160 degrees F (almost cooked through), about 50 minutes.
- Move the chicken over to the direct-heat side of the grill. After 2 minutes, flip the chicken to char and crisp up the skin side, another 3 or 4 minutes. Check that the temperature in the thigh is now at least 165 degrees F. If it is not, then move the chicken back to the indirect side, cover and cook until the final temperature is reached. Remove from the grill; let rest 20 minutes before carving.
- Stir the scallions and dill into the reserved marinade. Drizzle over the chicken or serve on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1121 |
| Total Fat | 98 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 55 g |
| Cholesterol | 217 mg |
| Sodium | 1213 mg |
Reviews
Making it right now, and have already made it several times. Truly a crowd favorite!! Everyone loves it especially with Greek potatoes and a Greek salad.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing.
So good, crunchy skin and moist, tender meat. The sauce gives it a little extra loveliness. The family loved it.
BEST GRILLED SPATCHCOCK CHICKEN EVER! Easy, fast, very tasty! Thanx!
It was Wonderful, moist and flavorful. I only had thighs, but came out perfectly on my outdoor electric BBQ. I had too much sauce left over, so am saving it to use again. Don’t want to waste good EVOO. My guests wanted the recipe! I have an herb garden so could use their wonderful flavors and aromas.
OMG! This dish was fabulous. I followed the recipe as written. Wouldn’t change a thing. Beautiful presentation. Meat was moist and juicy. Worthy of serving to company. Gourmet quality.
I have made this many times and everyone loves it!!
Superb. The reserved marinade makes it. Will definitely repeat.
My fav way to cook chicken on the grill. Haven’t added scallions, dill or oregano. Nor saved half the marinate for later and still love this easy receipe!
If u have rm, I roast potatoes using heat section of grill (see link below)
It’s also a croud pleaser!
| Leite’s Culinaria
https://leitesculinaria.com/81552/recipes-roasted-potatoes-grill.html
One of my favorite chicken recipes- so easy and delicious. I have yet to add the dill at the end (the groundhogs ate mine) but I usually change it up each time with the herbs- I think I like oregano and thyme best. Absolutely luscious!
Fun way to cook chicken. My first spatchcock. I used an organic chicken which I salted 1 day early. I suggest turning up one burner before you flip the chicken one last time (skin-side down) so the skin really browns. Mine didn’t at only medium-high. Still delicious, especially with the sauce, which I poured on each piece before serving and then served in a pitcher on the table. Will make again, and perhaps change up the herbs a bit. Cut each breast in half and serve the pieces in chunks.