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Spatchcock Chicken with Root Vegetables

Spatchcock Chicken with Root Vegetables uses a simple technique to produce perfectly cooked chicken as part of a healthy, one-pan meal.

Spatchcocking is just a fancy term for a simple technique: splitting a bird in half and and cooking it flat.  

I was expecting there to be some sort of unique and brilliant history behind the word’s origin because it seems to conjure up images of ancient bearded warriors sitting around a moonlit fire pit, drinking mead and gorging themselves on spatchcocked fowl as they recount the day’s battle.

The best the oxford dictionary could come up with, however, was “perhaps related to the nouns dispatch and cock.”

Not very tantalizing to the imagination, but I digress. 

I’ve posted previously about to make an easy roast chicken, but this method might take the cake.

Benefits of Spatchcocking

Spatchcocking might sound intense, but it’s actually really simple. It also has some great benefits:

  • Aside from looking impressive, spatchcocking cuts down on cooking time.
  • The uniform thickness of spatchcocked bird ensures that the all the meat cooks evenly without drying out.
  • It takes the guess work out deciding of when the chicken is done. 
  • The root vegetables baste in all the delicious drippings of the chicken as it cooks, leaving them intensely flavorful.

How to Spatchcock a Chicken

I’ve found that the key to getting crisp skin is having a dry chicken.

After washing and throughly drying your chicken with some paper towels, leaving it uncovered in the fridge for an hour will really help dry it out an

Once it’s dry, lay the chicken breast side down on a hard surface.

Dry Raw Chicken

Using kitchen shears, start at the neck and cut along the backbone towards the tail until the chicken is cut in half.

Spatchcock Step 1

Rotate the bird 180 degrees and start cutting along the opposite side of the backbone from the tail back to the neck.

Spatchcock step 2

Remove the backbone and save it for stock.

Spatchcock step 3

Spread the bird apart and flip it over. Pretend you are giving the chicken CPR and give it a firm push until you hear a crack.

Spatchcock step 4

That’s all there is to it. The chicken is now ready to be seasoned and roasted.

How to Roast Spatchcock Chicken with Root Vegetables

For this recipe you can use whatever starchy veggies strike your fancy. I generally like to use a mix of carrots, celery, rutabaga, parsnips, and turnips.

In order to make sure that all the vegetables are cooked through by the time the chicken is done, however, it is important to chop them into equal-sized 1/2″ cubes.

If you cut them too thick, they’ll be rock hard; too thin and they might turn to mush.

Root Vegetables

Once chopped, toss your veggies with a little olive oil and some fresh herbs. In this case, I used sage and thyme.

Scatter the root vegetables in a large, oven-proof skillet and add one cup of chicken stock.

Liberally season booth sides of the spatchcocked chicken with salt, pepper and paprika, then place the bird on top of the vegetables.

Spatchcock Chicken Over Root Vegetables

Transfer the skillet to a preheated 450°F oven and roast for 50-60 minutes.

By the time it’s done, the chicken’s skin should be brown and crispy and the thickest part of the thigh should register 165° on a thermometer.

spatchcock chicken cooked

Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

At this point I like to add a little lemon juice to the vegetables and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Lemon on Vegetables

If your veggies still happen to be a little raw, you can also heat the skillet on the stove for a few minutes until they are cooked through.

Finally, plate everything up and enjoy!

Spatchcocked Chicken Plated

More Chicken Recipes

Spatchcocked Chicken with Root Vegetables
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5 from 1 vote

Spatchcock Chicken with Root Vegetables

Spatchcock Chicken with Root Vegetables uses a simple technique to produce perfectly cooked chicken and a healthy, one-pan meal.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pound whole chicken wash, dried, and spatchcocked
  • 1 large rutabaga peeled and cubed
  • 2 medium turnips peeled and cubed
  • 2 parsnips peeled and cubed
  • 3 carrots cut into 2″ chunks
  • 2 celery ribs cut into 2″ chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
  • 2 table spoons fresh thyme
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • juice from half a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°
  • Toss the chopped vegetables with the olive oil, sage, and thyme
  • Scatter the chopped vegtables in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the chicken stock.
  • Season the chicken on all sides with salt, pepper, and paprika.
  • Place the chicken in the skillet on top of the vegetables.
  • Roast for 50-60 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh registers 165° on a thermometer.
  • Remove the chicken from the skillet and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Squeeze the lemon juice over the vegetables in the skillet and stir to combine.
  • Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Mention @sophisticatedcaveman or tag #sophisticatedcaveman on Instagram!

Equipment

  • Kitchen Shears
  • Chef's Knife
  • Cutting Board

The ingredient or equipment sections above may contain affiliate links to products that I personally use or recommend!

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




Danielle @ Eat Primal, Run Hard

Monday 1st of February 2016

Looks amazing! You can never go wrong with a roast chicken, especially a spatchcocked one. I'm going to use your dry skin tip in the future, thanks!

The Sophisticated Caveman

Monday 1st of February 2016

Sure! The drier you can get that skin, the crispier it will be!