spatchcocked and roasted chicken with root vegetables

Warning: This post contains images of the inside of a raw chicken, and frankly, it isn’t pretty. If you are eating breakfast, or have a weak stomach, you might want to skip this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roasted chicken is one of my favorite meals, but it can take upwards of 2 hours depending on the size of the chicken. By removing its spine, and spatchcocking (flattening) the chicken, you can cut the time down to about an hour. A pair of kitchen scissors is absolutely necessary. It makes it so much easier to only cut through the back spine of the chicken than a knife would. I also like to cut up vegetables to roast them at the same time, making it a one dish meal.

Spatchcocked and Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, patted dry and giblets removed
• 1 tbsp chicken seasoning
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1″ – 2″ chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped into 1″ – 2″ chunks
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped into 1″-2″ chunks
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″-2″ chunks
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place your chicken breasts side down on a cutting board.
2. Using your kitchen scissors, cut along the lines which should be just on either side of the spine:
3. I like to cut up one side, and then go back and cut up the other side. Some people prefer to cut up one side, then turn the chicken and come back the other way. It really doesn’t matter. I also take the time to cut off any excess skin at the bottom of the bird. 
4. Reserve the back to make stock. At this point, you should slowly open the bird and gently crack open the bone between the breasts. Also, take this time to remove any nasty bits that are hanging out in there. 
5. Place the open chicken, skin side up, into a large pan. Rub about 1 tbsp of olive oil and half the seasoning over the chicken skin. Toss the remaining oil and seasoning with the vegetables and spread them around the outside of the chicken. 
6. Bake for 20 minutes. Check on the vegetables to make sure that they aren’t burning, and give them a quick stir. Try not to disturb the chicken. Bake for another 35-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 160 degrees. 

how to: roasted chicken

When I first started cooking I was completely intimated of roasting a chicken. It seemed so out of my league that I never even attempted it. It wasn’t until I came across Glamour’s recipe for engagement chicken, that I decided to give it a go. I made it for my friend Jen and my mom, and it turns out that it wasn’t hard at all to make a chicken. [Side note: engagement chicken actually works, I have a couple of friends that made it for their boyfriends, and were engaged shortly after]. While engagement chicken is a decent recipe, I found a recipe that is even simpler and the result is absolutely perfect crispy skin, and super juicy chicken. I have adapted it slightly from a recipe for Wegmans, which calls for Wegmans brand items. Also, just as a warning, this smokes a lot but it isn’t burning. I usually open a window and turn on the fan while making this so I don’t set off my fire alarms.

Roasted Chicken

adapted from Wegmans

 

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, about 6 lbs
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp seasoning // use whatever type of seasoning you want, I like McTwigan Rubba Chicken

Tools:

• kitchen twine
• meat thermometer
• rimmed baking sheet or shallow pan // I used a 9×13 stoneware baker

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Let your chicken rest on the counter while your oven is preheating, about 15 minutes.  If your chicken has any giblets in it (they are usually in a small bag in the cavity), remove them and either keep or discard them. Use a couple of paper towels to pat down the outside and the inside of the cavity. Do not rinse your chicken.  If there is a plastic thermometer, remove it and throw it away.
3. Place your chicken on the pan. Rub all over with oil. Sprinkle seasoning all over the chicken, and rub it in so it mixes with the oil. Using about 24 inches of baking twine, truss the chicken. I start across the back so the wings are tucked in, cross it underneath and then tie the legs together. You can see in my picture that the one of the wings has popped out during cooking, but that is fine. I find that with the oil on the chicken, I never have any trouble with removing the string for the presentation, but if you are worried about it, you can use a little shortening on your twine before you truss the chicken.
4. Roast on center rack of oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Roast about 1 hour 30 minutes, until the temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Check by inserting your thermometer halfway into the thickest part of the inner thigh where the leg connects to the body, away from any bone.  If for some reason you are missing/don’t have a meat thermometer, you can also test by wiggling one of the legs. You should easily be able to pull the thigh/leg away from the rest of the bird and any juices that appear while you do this should be clear.
5. Once your chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Let rest for at least 15 minutes. This will allow the juices to redistribute, which will result in a super moist chicken. You can now transfer your chicken to a serving platter, or carve in the kitchen and then serve, which is what I prefer to do.