Roast Spatchcocked Lemon Chicken

246 Ratings
  • 5 55
  • 4 74
  • 3 73
  • 2 35
  • 1 9

The technique of spatchcocking requires splitting and flattening the chicken. It exposes more skin, which really crisps up at high temperatures. See our step-by-step guide to spatchcocking a chicken, then use this recipe to put together two other delicious meals: Chicken-and-Rice Soup and Escarole Salad with Lardons and Poached Eggs.

Martha Stewart Living, January 2013

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Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

total:
1 hr 20 mins
prep:
20 mins
Servings:
4
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Starting at thigh end, cut along 1 side of backbone with kitchen shears. Turn chicken around; cut along other side. Discard backbone or save for stock. Flip chicken, and open it like a book. Press firmly on breastbone to flatten.

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  • Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brush 1 tablespoon oil in the center of a rimmed baking sheet slightly larger than the size of the chicken, and place half the lemon slices in a single layer on top of oil. Place chicken, skin side up, on lemons. Beginning at the neck end of breast, carefully loosen skin from flesh of breast and thighs with your fingers. Slide remaining lemon slices under skin in a single layer.

  • Roast chicken 20 minutes. Toss shallots with remaining teaspoon oil, and scatter around chicken. Continue to roast chicken until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reaches 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes more.

  • Transfer chicken to a carving board, and let rest 10 minutes. Cut chicken into 8 pieces, and serve with roasted lemons, shallots, and pan juices. If using chicken for soup and salad, let chicken cool completely. Remove and discard skin, lemon under skin, and bones, and shred meat into bite-size pieces. Chicken, roasted lemons, shallots, and pan juices can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Store meat and pan juices in separate containers; lemons and shallots can be stored together.

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Reviews (18)

246 Ratings
  • 5 55
  • 4 74
  • 3 73
  • 2 35
  • 1 9
Martha Stewart Member
11/04/2019
Made this last night and my 3 year old who hasn't eaten meat in 1.5 years asked for seconds before I could even finish plating for the adults. He ended up eating four servings! It was delicious and moist and cooked evenly. They only had 5 lb birds at the store so I cooked it for an extra 10-15 minutes, used red onion instead of shallots, and threw some thyme into the pan juices.
Martha Stewart Member
01/13/2019
I love the flavors of the perfectly roasted chicken with the zesty lemon juices and sweet shallots combined. I also roasted carrots separately and served them with the chicken. Everyone made the yummy sound pretty much after each bite.
Martha Stewart Member
11/11/2018
I follow the cooking instructions for cook time, temp, the oil, salt, and pepper. It comes out wonderfully! The only other seasoning I do is a mixture of rosemary and thyme. And for the oil, I sauté garlic in it earlier in the day so it cools off for bird. This is my go to whole chicken recipe, and haven’t found a better way to get some crispy skin. I know it’s a “not by the recipe” review, but it was the stepping stone I needed to get the bird I want.
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Martha Stewart Member
02/15/2018
This recipe is perfect! Just be sure you use either large shallots or if they are smaller, put them in later so they don't burn. You can quarter large shallots.
Martha Stewart Member
02/13/2018
First time I did a spatchcocked chicken and it was so moist and flavorful! NOT to lemony or overpowered with any particular flavor. I would do this method in a flash.
Martha Stewart Member
02/11/2018
Perfectly simple!! There infinite ways to spice, season and sauce chicken, and I have tried most of them. I like to serve a simple main dish to my guests, then go full flavor with side dishes. Chief Joseph knows how to make directions simple too!! Thank You! Now, a question about Chief Thomas Joseph, is he related to the, handsomely talented Pianist William Joseph They look so much alike?!?raf
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Martha Stewart Member
02/11/2015
I'm giving this a 5 star rating based on technique. I used my own seasoning blend and skipped the onions underneath but cutting and cooking the chicken in this manner is WONDERFUL! It's the only way I cook a whole chicken anymore. Juicy, quick, and delicious!
Martha Stewart Member
01/24/2015
We enjoyed this. I added about a cup of canned chickpeas with the shallots, and some rosemary sprigs with the lemon slices. The pan juices were a little too lemony for us, so I just left it in the pan. The meat was juicy and delicious, and the beans and shallots were very good. I like that you get more nice crisp skin with this method.
Martha Stewart Member
08/22/2014
I make this recipe frequently ever since I saw it printed in the magazine. Each time I make it my family starts picking at the crispy, delicious chicken before I can even serve it up on a plate and it rarely makes it out of the kitchen and onto the dinner table. I have never had a problem with a "sour" or bitter "too-lemony" taste. It's delicious as is... Just use thin slices! YUM.
Martha Stewart Member
04/15/2014
This was way too lemony for my husband and me. He is a real lemon lover, too. The flavor was more like lemon pith, with a bitter aftertaste. I roast chicken about 2 times a month and lately have been using the spatchcocked method. I came across this recipe when I had fresh lemons from my sister's tree. I cut the lemons very very thinly for inside the skin. I didn't use the shallots, but everthing else was the same.
Martha Stewart Member
02/28/2014
This was positively delicious. We ate the leg/thigh portions and my husband went back and grabbed the two wings. I boiled the back meat for free broth and more meat....picked the bones clean and tonight made a recipe from Winter Cottage Feb 2013, called Lemon Chicken Soup with Spinach. Absolutely wonderful! With that I served "Savory" crackers, made from saltines and a bag of Savory Seasoning and some swiss cheese slices....perfect meal! www.SavoryFineFoods.com for the seasoning.
Martha Stewart Member
02/22/2014
I love this fast way of roasting a whole chicken-skin is crispy, meat is tender. I make it frequently.
Martha Stewart Member
01/20/2014
Awesome recipe- I added sage, rosemary, and thyme. It looked great when it was all done- I looked like I knew what I was doing. A thing a beauty that tasted good too
Martha Stewart Member
10/29/2013
I made this! I didn't follow the recipe 100% (as I tend to use recipes more for inspiration) but the spatchcocking instructions were great and helped me avoid over cooking. I put the chicken on a bed of sliced lemons and rosemary sprigs and cooked and seasoned as instructed and the skin came our crispy and the drippings made a lemony gravy. I will make again
Martha Stewart Member
08/29/2013
Delicious. I wanted to eat half as a roast chicken so only placed one sliced up lemon beneath the chicken and none under the skin. The soup using 1/2 the roast chicken was delicious as well.
Martha Stewart Member
02/03/2013
We liked this very much, and I have four young kids, some of which are pretty picky eaters. I followed the recipe just as stated and didn't find the meat sour - just a hint of lemon. But I used thin slices (less than 1/4 inch) and put one on each thigh and two on each breast - maybe the trick is not to overdo it. I will definitely be trying the Roast Lemon Chicken and Rice soup with our leftovers.
Martha Stewart Member
01/24/2013
We did not enjoy this. It was just too sour. My kids were shuddering as they ate, and I have to admit I was too. I will definitely spatchcock a chicken again, but I will not stuff lemons under the skin.
Martha Stewart Member
01/14/2013
This was delicious! I have *never* successfully made a whole chicken, by the way, so I was a little intimidated by the spine-cutting thing. But it worked wonderfully. I made it tonight and am eating the soup right now :) I had a 5 lb. chicken so it took a little longer, and I only had oranges, so used oranges instead of lemon, which probably made it a little sweeter. But what an awesome way to prepare chicken...the soup is full of caramelized roasted flavor. This won't be my last spatchcock :)
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