“Once you’ve cut out the backbone and laid the chicken down, press on the top of the bird to flatten it that extra little bit — it makes for good even cooking,” says Alex.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 25 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Butterfly the chicken: Remove any innards from the chicken. Put the whole chicken breast-side down on a flat surface. (I like to put a kitchen towel underneath the bird to prevent the chicken from sliding around as I work.) Find the backbone running down the center. Use a pair of sharp poultry shears or scissors to cut up along the backbone on one side and then cut along the other side. Remove the backbone and save it to add to chicken stock. Flip the bird over, breast-side up. Gently press down on the breast meat to open the chicken up and flatten it. The breastbone will break as you press. The chicken should now sit almost flat.
- Cook the chicken: Season the chicken on all sides with salt. Put the chicken skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a rack, put the pan in the center of the hot oven and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and cook for an additional 30 to 35 minutes. The chicken is ready when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the bird registers 155 degrees F to 160 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the mustard vinaigrette: Whisk the dijon and grainy mustards with the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the canola oil and 1 tablespoon cold water. Taste for seasoning.
- Serve the chicken: Transfer it to a cutting board for carving. Serve with the mustard vinaigrette.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 612 |
| Total Fat | 49 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Protein | 39 g |
| Cholesterol | 154 mg |
| Sodium | 781 mg |
Reviews
Hasn’t failed me yet!!!
Love this recipe!!! Very easy and very tasty!!!
Fabulous flavor! Chicken was juicy and the vinaigrette was wonderful. I used some of the leftover chicken and vinaigrette over salad and wow! I loved it.
So good! The chicken was so easy to cut once cooked this way and the skin was perfectly crispy! I cooked it for 33 minutes the second round and could have done a tiny bit less to make it more juicy. The mustard sauce was okay, definitely need to have a love for mustard but not bad.
Delicious! This is the first time I baked a roaster chicken like this and won’t be going back to the old way. The chicken was evenly cooked throughout – crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I didn’t care for the mustard vinaigrette and will consider something different in the future.