a French dish that substitutes Gruyere for Cheddar. Excellent elegant side dish for roasts and steaks.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Additional Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 1 whole chicken |
Ingredients
- 1 (3 1/2) pound whole chicken, wings removed
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch herbes de Provence, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or as needed
- 2 heavy clay bricks, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Use kitchen shears to cut down both sides of the backbone. Remove backbone and discard. Cut through breastbone from the inside until chicken folds out like a book and lays flat.
- Season chicken all over with salt and black pepper, and sprinkle herbes de Provence on the inside. Let chicken sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature; pat dry with paper towels. Brush skin-side of chicken with oil and season again with salt and black pepper.
- Heat an oven-proof cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. Place chicken, skin-side down, in hot skillet and place bricks evenly on top to weigh down chicken.
- Roast chicken in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove bricks, turn chicken over, and continue roasting until juices run clear and meat is no longer pink at the bone, 5 to 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Preheat the oven’s broiler and broil the chicken until skin is crispy and golden, 1 to 3 minutes.
Reviews
No changes. Awesomeness the way it is. Just keep an eye at the end when under low broiler to keep from burning
My spatchcocking was a little rough, I skinned a 6.5# chicken and since I didn’t have any bricks I put a cast iron skillet on top of the chicken which was in a larger one. In spite of it all, this was the most moist chicken I’ve ever made. Next time I’ll be better prepared.
Love this!! Smells so good with fresh herbs. Chicken comes out moist and flavorful. One of our favorites during the week. Easy after you’ve made it a few times. Kids love it!
The chicken was moist and delicious! I’ve made this several times and I’m never disappointed. I didn’t have two bricks, but I do have two cast iron pans so I used one to put on top of the chicken. I used a 5 1/2 lb. whole chicken and baked it at 425 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Thank you Chef John!
2nd time I’ve made this masterpiece! I don’t have bricks so use my dutch oven underside (it’s heavy!) wrapped with foil for the weight. My husband loves this method of roasting chicken, as do I! Thank you Chef John.
Never heard of Spatchcocked chicken before but extremely glad I saw this from Chef John. I used a cast-iron skillet and followed the instructions and this was some of the best chicken I have ever had along with the easy clean-up for a chicken meal and it was simply marvelous!
I had a 5 lb organic chicken so increased the bake time. Didn’t have bricks so I used another cast iron pan on top with my potatoes in it (multi tasking!). Traffic was bad so family got here late but it held up fine on top of the stove under foil. The grandkids ate several helpings. It truly is moist!!! I saved the back & wing tips in the freezer for bone broth. No waste here
Just the biggest fan of Chef John. We made it exactly as he said except we had to cook longer because we had a 5 1/2 pound chicken so cooked about 10 minutes longer.
I have to give this recipe 5 star’s. Some people may disagree, but that’s why we are all different. This is the best chicken I have ever had. I made this just as recipe stated, and it was awesome. Many Thanks Chef John for posting this.
Just didn’t use the bricks. Split the bird by cutting out the spine with gardening shears. Patted the bird dry, sprinkled my seasoning and let it sit for 1/2 hour. Lightly oiled then reseasoned and dropped bird in vary hot cast iron skillet and placed in oven. All other steps were per the recipe. Very tender with crisp skin and juicy meat. Wife demands that I make this one again! Now that is high praise for me!
This is a wonderful way to fix a whole chicken! I followed the recipe to the letter, except for the broiling, which I will do the next time. The best test for us was the breast meat, which was tender and juicy and cooked to perfection. Even the leftovers were. Fixed it in a cast iron pan and took it out at exactly 165°. I added about 1/2 cup chicken broth to the pan juices and it made a small amount of sauce, just enough. Thanks, Chef John.
I used Kansas City Style Seasoning & pepper since I didn’t have the recommended seasoning….chicken was really good.
One of my favorite ways to prepare chicken. And it’s a great excuse to go out and get that over-sized cast iron skillet. I went big and got a 13 inch one and can do bigger birds than the recipe; just calculate a little longer cook time according to weight. And Chef John is right, that last step under the hot broiler makes it perfect.
I followed the directions for preparing the chicken and seasoning. But i cooked it on the grill and used my pre-heated salt block instead of bricks. it took about 25 minutes over medium heat and I can’t remember having chicken that good in a long time.
Very Good
Made it twice. Heated the bricks and the pan in the oven ahead of time. Will keep making this recipe.
I will definitely make this delicious dish again! It was so interesting to use the bricks and it comes out nice and crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. Chef John’s video was very thorough and also entertaining and informative.
This was great. I used two chicken legs and YUM!!! This one that I saved and will have gain. Chef john has another winner.
I will make this again and again. Crispy skin and very juicy chicken. Five stars from my wife too.
Excellent!! I made this for company tonight and everyone loved it! No one heard of spatchcock chicken before so it was a great conversation piece (plus I love saying spatchcock:) I have made spatchcock chicken before using a different method; both are fantastic. I love using my cast iron skillet, however, I did not have bricks so I used another cast iron pan as my weight. Definitely watch the video! I decided to add sliced onion & minced garlic to the skillet prior to roasting the chicken in the oven. While the chicken was resting I quickly made a gravy out of the drippings using 1/4 c chicken broth & 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Thank you again Chef John!
Very good! I will make again. I would like to try it on the outdoor grill.