Spatchcock hen is the quickest technique to prepare dinner a complete hen. My recipe leaves you with the juiciest herbed hen meat and tremendous crispy pores and skin.
I like making this recipe for my household in the course of the week as a result of the meat comes out so tender and cooked evenly. You possibly can eat it as-is or shred it up to make use of in future meals like these hen tacos! I extremely advocate saving the drippings from this hen as a result of you can also make an unimaginable sauce/gravy from it 😍

“That is my first time cooking a complete hen within the oven and doing it spatchcock was much less daunting. So blissful that the recipe was a hit the primary time. I received crispy pores and skin and juicy inside with out brining the hen. Would use the recipe once more and can modify the chili powder to my liking. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!” -Merivale
I’ll get proper to it: the key to this spatchcock hen recipe is 1. the unimaginable hen seasoning and a couple of. the sauce/gravy. On this spatchcock hen recipe, I’ll train you easy methods to get superb crispy pores and skin AND easy methods to take the hen drippings and switch it into an unimaginable gravy that you could serve your hen subsequent to.
PS: there isn’t a hen brine concerned and you can also make this meal in lower than 60 minutes.
What You Must Make this Spatchcock Hen Recipe
- Entire hen: this recipe requires a 3-4 lb. entire hen. I’ve discovered that the upper high quality the meat (free-range, natural, and so on.) the higher the hen tastes.
- Oil: oil is what helps get the pores and skin good and crispy.
- Hen seasoning: the spices used on this seasoning are much like my hen dry rub. You want garlic, chili, cumin, thyme, mustard, basil, black pepper, paprika, and brown sugar.
- Garlic and contemporary herbs: these prepare dinner beneath the hen and when combined with the drippings, flip into the gravy.
PS: try my spatchcock turkey recipe for related flavors!
#1 Tip You Don’t Need to Skip!
Wire baking rack: Don’t skip the wire rack that the hen is baked on. Baking the hen flat on a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet is essential to crispy pores and skin! The wire rack permits the air to flow into throughout the hen which is able to actually assist crisp up the pores and skin.


Earlier than you get began, be sure you assemble the next kitchen instruments:
- Sharp kitchen sheers
- Massive plate
- Reducing board
- Paper towel
- Wire rack
- Baking sheet
- Tin foil
- Medium pot
- Chef’s knife for slicing


How Lengthy Does It Take to Prepare dinner a Spatchcock Hen?
A 3–4 lb. spatchcock hen will take round 35–45 minutes at 425ºF. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest a part of the hen, sometimes the breast; test the thigh as effectively if desired. Take away the hen at 160ºF, relaxation it uncovered for quarter-hour, and ensure it reaches 165ºF earlier than carving.


Use a store-bought seasoning: for those who’re going to skip the selfmade rub, I like to recommend utilizing a salt-free seasoning after which including your individual salt so you’ll be able to management the saltiness.
Directions for Grilling Your Spatchcock Hen
I’ve additionally examined this recipe on the grill and it’s fairly pleasant since you get a touch of char,
- Put together the hen with the seasonings.
- Then, grill the hen at 450ºF skin-side down for 3-4 minutes.
- Flip the hen over and proceed to prepare dinner for round 45 minutes or till the interior temperature reaches 165ºF. Take a look at my grilled entire hen recipe.


Attempt it!
Thermoworks Thermapen
I by no means prepare dinner pork chops, or actually any meat grilling recipes, with no good meat thermometer. It takes the guesswork out of grilling and ensures completely cooked chops each time. My favourite is the Thermapen from ThermoWorks. It’s quick and correct for checking inner temperatures.




Serving Strategies
Storage & Leftovers
Retailer the hen in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days within the fridge.
Shred the hen and use the leftovers it in cobb salad, hen noodle soup, or hen tacos.
First, put together the hen seasoning. Combine collectively all spices and put aside.
Subsequent, take away the hen from the packaging and place the hen on a clear, dry slicing board.
Take away extra moisture from the hen with a paper towel.
To spatchcock the hen, set the hen breast-side down on a slicing board and use very sharp kitchen shears to start slicing down one facet of the backbone via the ribs after which repeat on the opposite facet of the backbone. Discard the backbone.
Flip the hen over onto the hen breasts and use your fingers to press on the center of the hen urgent down firmly to flatten the hen.
Place the hen on a big plate and punctiliously separate the hen meat from the hen pores and skin together with your hand.
Rigorously rub 1 teaspoon salt on the hen meat beneath the pores and skin being certain the hen meat is roofed with salt.
Season the entire hen with the hen seasoning, overlaying the pores and skin, legs, and thighs. Refrigerate the seasoned hen for quarter-hour to 2 hours.
If you end up able to prepare dinner, preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Take away the hen from the fridge and proceed with the recipe. There isn’t any have to convey the hen to room temperature first.
Place the onion, garlic, thyme, white wine, ½ cup of broth, and 1 tablespoon olive oil on prime of the aluminum foil and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
Place a steel rack on prime of the foil and greens and punctiliously place the entire hen flat on prime of the steel rack breast-side up.
Rub the hen with the extra 2 tablespoons of oil. Remember to actually therapeutic massage the oil into the hen.
Roast the hen at 425ºF for 35–45 minutes. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest a part of the hen, sometimes the breast; test the thigh as effectively if desired. Take away the hen from the oven when it reaches 160ºF.
Let the hen relaxation uncovered for quarter-hour so carryover cooking can convey it to the protected serving temperature. Affirm the interior temperature reaches 165ºF earlier than carving.
Whereas the hen is resting, put together the sauce. Add the entire cooked greens, liquid, and herbs from the underside of the pan right into a small saucepan together with the remainder of the broth (1 cup).
Convey the sauce to a boil after which flip the warmth to medium/low and add the lemon juice.
Then, rigorously sprinkle the cornstarch into the sauce and whisk. Let the sauce prepare dinner over medium warmth till thick. Take away from warmth and discard the herb stems.
Carve the hen and serve with the sauce.
- I like to recommend refrigerating the seasoned hen for the total 2 hours. Refrigerating the hen helps the spices actually soak up into the pores and skin and helps to dry out the pores and skin of the hen (which makes it excellent for crisping). Nevertheless, for those who’re in a time crunch, quarter-hour works, too!
- Baking rack: That is essential! Don’t skip the wire rack that the hen is baked on. Baking the hen flat on a rack inside a rimmed baking sheet is essential to crispy pores and skin!
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”kbAhLpQ3″ upload-date=”2022-06-19T00:00:00.000Z” name=”The Best Spatchcock Chicken” description=”Learn how to spatchcock a chicken and then roast it to perfection. This spatchcock chicken recipe leaves you with the juiciest herbed chicken meat and super crispy skin.”]
Energy: 475 kcal, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Protein: 56 g, Fats: 24 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 1 g
Vitamin data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Pictures by: The Wood Skillet
