This is one of those recipes that comes along every now and again that wows with simplicity, ease, and amazing flavour. The chicken is moist and flavourful. The veggies perfectly roasted. Dinner will be on the table in just over an hour making this a perfect weeknight meal. The deliciousness factor also means it is a perfect meal for entertaining.
The potatoes, carrots and Brussels sprouts roast along with the chicken. This blend of vegetables bakes to perfection and every bite is supremely flavorful. The potatoes have a crisp salty skin with a creamy inside and these were some of the best tasting Brussels sprouts I’ve tried.
A whole roasted chicken can be tricky because the chicken breast can quickly dry out by the time the dark meat is cooked through, but when you butterfly a chicken (spatchcock), the chicken breast sits lower in the pan on the same level as the legs so it bakes more evenly and results in a juicy, moist and flavorful chicken. While it is easy to spatchcock a chicken yourself (there are tons of videos on YouTube) do yourself a favour and ask your butcher to do this for you.
The star of this show is a relatively simple flavoured butter. It tastes incredible and makes every bite memorable. I think the butter compound would be flexible and you could play around with the herbs used and even add some chill pepper flakes for a hint of heat.
Enjoy!
Lemon Herb Spatchcock Chicken
4 1/4 lb whole chicken, spatchcocked
1/2 tsp salt, (we used sea salt)
1/8 tsp black pepper
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle
1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt, plus more for vegetables
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 lbs medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered
8 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Preheat oven to 425˚
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, olive oil, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Mash with fork for a couple of minutes until lemon juice is mostly incorporated into butter.
Spread 2/3 of mixture under the chicken skin and and dot/spread remaining butter all over chicken.
Place prepared vegetables all around the chicken and drizzle everything with olive oil. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables generously with salt and some black pepper to taste.
Bake uncovered at 425˚F for 45 min or until instant read thermometer reads 160˚F when inserted into thickest part of chicken breast. Remove form oven and rest uncovered 10 minutes on a cutting board before serving.
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