This is a simple and easy butterflied roasted chicken with vegetables recipe. A Butterflied (spatchcocked) whole chicken is the best way to get juicy and tender meat. Add some carrots and potatoes to the pan and you get a delicious and filling meal for the whole family.
Butterflying (also called spatchcocking) a whole chicken refers to the method of removing the backbone and laying the poultry flat on a pan to roast.
Every Thanksgiving we have had perfectly roasted turkey with crispy skin and juicy white meat – our secret is butterflying the bird – and we’re never going back to cooking it any other way. Following the success we’ve had with the turkey, we tried it out on whole chicken and it’s been amazing!
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Reasons to butterfly a whole chicken
- Cooks more evenly, ensuring the breast and thigh meat reaches a safe minimum temperature at the same time.
- By laying the chicken flat, you can roast a whole bird much quicker!
- You get golden, crispy chicken skin and juicy meat.
- When you roast a chicken perfectly, you only need a bit of seasoning to enhance the chicken’s natural flavor.
- Add vegetables to the roasting pan and you get a convenient and filling one-pan meal, similar to my one pan chicken thighs recipe.
The method of butterflying poultry may seem intimidating at first, but with a bit of practice and the right tools, I promise it will be so easy to roast a whole chicken from now on!
Check out the pictures below for step by step instructions on how to properly butterfly your chicken for roasting.
Instructions
1. Make sure your chicken is completely thawed. Pat dry the inside and outside with a paper towel. Locate the backbone. Using kitchen scissors, cut the right side of the backbone from the tail to neck, following about an inch or so from the center of the back.
2. Repeat on the left side.
3. Remove the backbone and save it for later use (such as gravy, au jus, broth).
4. Turn the chicken over, with the skin side facing up. Use the heel of your hands, apply pressure on the upper middle of the breast bone to break it on each side. You may hear a small crack.
5. Spread the chicken out flat. Cut the wing tip off or tuck it behind the chicken, this prevents the wing from drying out and burning when roasting. Pat the chicken dry on both sides again. Add lemon pepper seasoning and salt to both sides of the chicken and underneath the skin.
6. Add the seasoned vegetables to the sheet pan and roast with the butterflied chicken at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50 to 60 minutes.
7. Take the temperature at the thickest part of the breast meat, making sure it is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. *Note: The chicken used in this recipe is 5 pounds. Cooking time should be adjusted according to the weight of the chicken.
8. To brown the chicken and crisp up the skin, add 1 tablespoon of butter onto the skin and spread it evenly. Put it under the broiler for about 10-15 minutes.
Recipe variations
- This recipe uses a simple lemon pepper seasoning, but you can substitute your seasoning of choice.
- Instead of potatoes and carrots, you can substitute other vegetables like brussel sprouts, parsnips, beets, and butternut squash.
- The vegetable seasoning may also be substituted for your seasoning of choice. Simple salt and pepper taste great too.
- Not a fan of turkey? This butterflied roasted chicken is a great alternative for the Holidays. Just season it with a Holiday rub (sage, thyme and rosemary).
This lemon pepper butterflied roasted chicken with vegetables is simple and delicious. Try it today and let me know what you think in the comments below!
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Butterflied Roasted Chicken With Vegetables
Equipment
- oven
- roasting sheet pan
- kitchen scissors
Ingredients
- 5 pound whole chicken
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 medium sized gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
Chicken seasoning
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
Vegetable seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit.
- Make sure your chicken is completely thawed. Pat dry the inside and outside with a paper towel.
- Locate the backbone. Using kitchen scissors, cut the right side of the backbone from the tail to neck, following about an inch or so from the center of the back. Repeat on the left side.
- Remove the backbone. Optional: freeze it for later use(such as gravy, au jus, broth).
- Turn the chicken over, with the skin side facing up. Use the heel of your hands, apply pressure on the upper middle of the breast bone to break it on each side. You may hear a small crack.
- Spread the chicken out flat. Cut the wing tip off or tuck it behind the chicken. This prevents the wing from drying out and burning when roasting.
- Pat the chicken dry on both sides again. Add lemon pepper seasoning and salt to both sides of the chicken and underneath the skin.
- Mix olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder to the carrots and potatoes in a bowl.
- Add the seasoned vegetables to the sheet pan with the chicken.
- Roast the chicken at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50-60 minute, or until the thickest part of the breast meat reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking time varies depending on the wieght of the chicken.
- To brown the chicken and crisp up the skin, add 1 tablespoon of butter onto the skin and spread it evenly. Put it under the broiler for about 10-15 minutes.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.
Notes
- You can substitute your seasoning of choice for the chicken.
- You can substitute for your seasoning of choice for the vegetables. Simple olive oil, salt and pepper works well too.
- This butterflied roasted chicken is a great alternative for the Holidays. Just season it with a Holiday rub (sage, thyme and rosemary).