Grilled Rosemary Spatchcock Chicken has a ton of flavor from fresh herbs and lemon zest that are rubbed all over the chicken before it is grilled to perfection. Finished with a simple lemon dressing, this meal will have you revamping your average chicken dish into a masterpiece packed with flavor.Serves 4 - 6
Remove the chicken giblets. Pat the outside dry. Place the chicken on a cutting board or large baking sheet (which is what I use), breast side down. Using a pair of sharp kitchen scissors, cut closely along either side of the backbone. Remove the bone and save it along with the neck in the package of giblets for making stock. You can freeze it for when you need it. It’s a waste to discard it.
Turn the chicken over so the breast is now facing up. You can place a paper towel underneath the chicken to keep it from slipping. Press down firmly on the breast to flatten the chicken. You should hear a crack. Chicken is ready to season.
To make the rosemary salt:
On a cutting board, add the rosemary, thyme, garlic, zest, sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Chop until everything is minced. Remove 2 teaspoons of the salt and set aside.
Season the chicken:
Place the chicken breast side down and drizzle oil all over. Season with some of the rosemary salt. Flip the chicken over and drizzle with oil. Rub it all around the chicken. Take the remaining rosemary salt and rub it all over the top of the chicken getting into every nook. Separate the skin from the breast and thigh and rub the paste inside for an explosion of flavor.
Prepare the grill at medium high heat.
Once grill is preheated, place chicken on the hot grill breast side down and grill, covered, for 12 - 15 minutes. It should be nice and charred at this point. If not, cook 5 minutes longer. Flip chicken over and cook covered for another 15 minutes. Use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast to check temp. It should register at 160 degrees. You may need to cook it up to 10 minutes longer depending on the size of your chicken. Transfer chicken onto a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Make the dressing:
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over cooked chicken. You can also just pass it around and pour over each serving.
Notes
Bell and Evans sells spatchcock chickens which saves you the time and effort of preparing your own.