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    Quick roast chicken for a midweek dinner

    How can you reduce the cooking time to make a quick roast chicken for dinner? The easy answer is to spatchcock the chicken - and it's easier than you think!

    Roast Spatchcock Chicken on a blue plate

    Roast Spatchcock Chicken

    Jump to Recipe

    I can hear you groaning and turning away now, but wait, spatchcocking a chicken isn't hard and it doesn't take long. You will save much more time with the cooking than you spend on the preparation.

    For years - decades even - I refused to entertain the idea of spatchcock chicken. Somehow I had associated a spatchcock with a galantine or ballotine, both of which involve de-boning the bird, or birds, and stuffing them, sometimes with other birds -  like a three-bird roast. (I did attempt one of these once, in my cooking-is-my-hobby days. Now that is time-consuming and fiddly. Suffice to say I didn't have another go.)

    Spatchcock chicken ready to cook
    Spatchcock Chicken

    So what exactly is a spatchcock chicken? Simply put, you remove the backbone and lay the chicken out flat(-tish). Because the bird isn't as dense it takes less time to cook hence a quick roast chicken! It has the added advantage of crispy skin all over, so what's not to like?

    These days I even spatchcock and freeze a chicken to take on holiday to cook. I'm very fussy about the chicken I eat, so I like to know that it's come from a good home. A tip if you do this is to take a roasting bag so that you don't have to clean the oven.

    If you haven't attempted spatchcocking before, see How to Spatchcock Chicken for a step-by-step guide then come back here for cooking instructions.

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    Recipe

    Roast Spatchcock Chicken in the roasting tin
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Quick roast chicken for a midweek dinner

    Spatchcock the chicken for a shorter cooking time.
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time45 minutes mins
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: British
    Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 kg spatchcock chicken at room temperature, see Note
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 lemon
    • Salt and pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    Baking or roasting dish
    Skewer OR
    Meat thermometer
    Foil

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    • Set the oven to 200°C fan, gas mark 7
    • Line the baking tray with a double layer of foil, or use one layer of extra-thick foil
    • Quarter the lemon

    For the roast chicken:

    • Lay the chicken breast side up on the baking tray. Rearrange the legs if necessary so that they aren't tucked under the chicken
      1.5 kg spatchcock chicken at room temperature,
    • Drip the olive oil over the chicken and rub it in with your hands - messy but effective. Season well with salt and pepper
      1 tablespoon olive oil, Salt and pepper
    • Squeeze the juice from the lemon quarters over the chicken and add more seasoning if necessary. Tuck the lemon quarters under the chicken
      1 lemon
    • Cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken is done

    Check that the chicken is ready:

    • Insert a meat thermometer into the fleshy part of the leg and check that the temperature is at least 80°C OR
    • Insert a skewer into the fleshy part of the leg and check that the juices run clear
    • When the chicken is done, take out of the oven and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving and serving

    Notes

    • If the chicken is not at room temperature, add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time
    • This chicken is excellent for a summer weekend lunch cooked to be ready an hour before you want to eat it, served with salad and lots of mayonnaise
    Everyday Cooks tip:
    Spatchcock the chicken the night before to cut down the preparation time. I sometimes spatchcock a chicken before I freeze it. Full details in How to Spatchcock a Chicken.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Cora says

      November 17, 2021 at 8:09 pm

      5 stars
      Simpke. and ooohh so tasty!! My family really enjoyed this along with mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and broccoli, coleslaw and of course, a side of Momma's gravy😉

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        November 18, 2021 at 8:38 pm

        Hi Cora, So pleased you like it - and gravy is a great addition 🙂

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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    Hi, I'm Susie. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook...

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    Roast Spatchcock Chicken in the roasting tin
    Roast Spatchcock Chicken on a blue patterned plate

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