Hot and tender chicken with the crispiest skin, seasoned by a delicious salsa verde marinade. Anyone? Oh, and it just takes 45 minutes to cook. ANNNNYONE? The beauty of the spatchcocked chicken.
Here’s the plan: Prepare the bird and let it brine the night before you plan to eat it. The next evening, pop it into the oven about an hour before you’re ready to chow down. Keep the sides simple and maybe call it an early bedtime? My ideal night. Or you can make an evening of it on the weekend and prepare all the sides that are amazing to have alongside a roast chicken. Either way, you’ll be happy.
If you’ve never spatchcocked a chicken before, here is the breakdown with pictures. (Note: Try to imitate Julia Child saying, “Save the liver!” as you work. It’ll get your mind off the less fun task of working with raw meat.)
- Cut the backbone on either side (saving for stock would be a good choice!)
- Flip the chicken over, breast side up now, and press down firmly right in the middle until you hear a crack, flattening the chicken.
- Optional: Cut the wings off. Or tuck them under as the bird cooks.
- Then for this recipe, you will take some lovely salsa verde and rub it all over the bird right under the skin. Brine in the fridge for 24 hours for the juiciest chicken ever.
Serve with extra creamy salsa verde and maybe some sweet potato wedges? Or a simple green salad. Or keep the side real simple and sprinkle mango and jicama slices with chili powder and lime juice. NOM, NOM.
Salsa Verde Spatchcock Chicken
- Prep Time: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 24 hours 45 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
Description
Spatchcock chicken marinated in a creamy salsa verde sauce.
Instructions
- Rinse chicken, pat dry and place breast down on a large sheet pan. Find the backbone and remove it by cutting down either side with sharp kitchen shears.
- Flip the bird over and press firmly down on the breast bone until you hear a crack and the chicken flattens.Remove the wings with a knife.
- Gently go under the skin with your fingers and rub the salsa verde all over the bird, trying not to break the skin. Take a paper towel and dry off any excess sauce on the outside of the bird. Any on the outside of the skin will just brown the skin more aggressively than we want during cooking. Generously sprinkle with salt.
- Place the bird breast side up on a large wire rack set in a foil lined baking sheet. Brine uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours.
- (if you brined for 24 hours, let the bird sit for 10 minutes or up to an hour before cooking time.)
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Roast the chicken until the chicken is brown all over and juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes uncovered before cutting and serving with extra salsa verde.
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