Nothing is more classic and cozy than a simple roast chicken. Now let's take that and butterfly the chicken, rub it down with lemon and fresh herbs, and roast it over potatoes in a cast iron pan for a juicy spatchcock chicken dinner that's perfect for weeknights!
This recipe was originally posted in February 2020, and has since been recently updated to include step-by-step processes, better photography, and clearer instructions. Thanks for supporting us!
Y'all it's tiiiiiiiiiiime!
No more 80+ degree weather for the foreseeable future, it is time to turn the oven back on!
I couldn't think of anything better to get into the fall mood than a whole roasted chicken with potatoes and a lemony garlicky pan sauce. Who doesn't love that?
My friend Kyleigh from Barley and Sage DM'ed me telling me she was going to make this recipe, but it just reminded me it needed a serious update! So here she is in all her glory: super crispy skinned and juicy chicken, with perfectly roasted potatoes. So good, so easy.
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Jump to:
- My One Pan Plan for a Juicy Roast Chicken Dinner!
- What do you Mean Spatchcock a Chicken?
- Ingredients for this Chicken Recipe
- How to Make a Roast Spatchcock Chicken and Potatoes
- Variations and Pro Tips
- What to Serve with Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
- Storage and Reheating
- Cast Iron Roast Spatchcock Chicken Dinner
My One Pan Plan for a Juicy Roast Chicken Dinner!
This recipe is super simple, but the flavor tastes like you busted your butt over a hot stove for hours. Surprise, you didn't!
We're gonna rub this bird and the baby potatoes down in olive oil, fresh herbs, and lemon, and watch it make magic in the oven in your cast iron. It even makes its own little sauce in the pan flavored with all that lemon and garlic and herbs.
If you didn't know, spatchcocking a bird is my favorite way to cook them. It's really simple to do, gives us evenly cooked and juicy birds, and cuts cooking time down a lot.
What do you Mean Spatchcock a Chicken?
Spatchcocking a chicken is basically just taking out its backbone and spreading it out flat before you cook it. This way, the chicken cooks faster and more evenly, so you end up with juicy meat and extra crispy skin. Plus, a flattened chicken takes up less room on the grill or in the oven, which makes more room for other items when you've got a lot of cooking to do (Thanksgiving, anyone?).
Ingredients for this Chicken Recipe
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- A Whole Chicken - this recipe works with a 4-5 pound roaster. A roaster, broiler, or fryer chicken can be used interchangeably.
- Baby Potatoes - I used a mix of red and gold baby potatoes. They soak up all that good flavor while they roast under the chicken
- Onions and Garlic - you can leave the garlic whole to roast and get soft (and smear on a slice of crusty bread!) or chop it up and add it in with the potatoes to give the sauce a garlicky hit.
- Olive Oil
- Fresh Herbs - you can change the herbs to whatever you like! I used rosemary, thyme, and parsley. In the fall, I love using sage as well.
- Lemons - I love the zest and the juice in this recipe. It makes for a seriously delicious sauce.
- Kosher Salt and Pepper
How to Make a Roast Spatchcock Chicken and Potatoes
How to Spatchcock a Whole Chicken
Step 1 | Flip the chicken backbone-side up (breast-side down) on a cutting board. Use sharp kitchen shears to carefully cut out the backbone, cutting up both sides. Once that backbone is removed, save it to make a great homemade chicken stock! Tip: Use a paper towel to keep a grip on the chicken when cutting.
Step 2 | Flip the chicken over, breast-side up. Splay the thighs so the chicken is as flat as possible, as shown.
Step 3 | Then use the heel of your palm to press down and firmly crack the breastbone in the chicken, which will make the chicken breasts lay flatter. Your chicken is now spatchcocked!
Roast the Chicken in the Oven
Step 1 | Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the potatoes, onions, and garlic in the olive oil with some of the lemon zest, lemon juice, herbs, salt and pepper in the cast iron pan.
Step 2 | Do the same to the spatchcocked chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and then cover the skin side and cavity of the chicken in the olive oil/lemon zest + juice/herbs/salt and pep mixture.
Step 3 | Place the chicken out flat on top of the potatoes, skin side up, and put into the oven. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how big your bird is. The best way to have perfectly cooked chicken is to use a meat thermometer.
Step 4 | The chicken is done when the skin is golden brown and is 165 degrees F (internal temperature) in the thickest part of the thigh, though it will also rise up in temperature when you let the chicken rest, so a couple degrees lower isn't going to hurt.
Step 5 | Pull the chicken out of the pan to rest for a few minutes before carving. Put the potatoes on a platter with the rested chicken, then add the pan sauce to a gravy boat or bowl.
Variations and Pro Tips
- If you're using a much bigger or smaller bird than in the recipe, use a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh to keep track of the temperature.
- Roast the chicken by itself and make mashed potatoes instead of having the roasted potatoes in the pan.
- Cut the wing tips off and save them alongside the backbone for that chicken stock. This way, you don't have to worry about them burning!
- I love adding fall faves like parsnips and butternut squash for more roasted veggies -- chicken and roasted fall veg is one of the first things I got an A on in culinary school!
- If you don't have a cast iron skillet, an oven-safe baking dish works perfectly.
What to Serve with Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
I'm a Southern girl, so you know we do a meat and three, and my mama always said you need something green on your plate!
- Give your dinner a southern touch with my grandma's recipe for collard greens and buttermilk biscuits or homemade cornbread.
- You can keep the sides light with a salad and sauteed asparagus!
- Or go super indulgent with baked mac and cheese or swap the potatoes for cheesy potatoes au gratin.
Storage and Reheating
Put the chicken and potatoes into an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep the pan sauce in a separate container so the potatoes don't soak it all up.
Reheat the dish in the microwave until warm, nothing fancy needed!
Equipment I Used
My Fave Braiser
This cast iron braiser is my widest shallow pan. It works just like a classic skillet, but has two handles which helps so much when I take it out of the oven!
- Poultry Shears - regular kitchen scissors might not be strong enough to cut through the bones of the chicken, so you'll want strong poultry shears or extra sharp kitchen shears.
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Cast Iron Roast Spatchcock Chicken Dinner
Ingredients
Lemon Herb Seasoning
- 2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon, grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
Chicken and Potatoes
- 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked, 4-5 pound chicken
- 2 lb baby potatoes, sliced in half
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut in ¼ inch half-moon slices
- 2 heads garlic, cut in half horizontally
Instructions
Mix together the lemon herb seasoning
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Set aside.2 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, Zest of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
Roast the Chicken and Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (180°C).
- Thoroughly pat the chicken's skin dry all with a paper towel and drizzle olive oil on both sides. Generously rub half of the herb seasoning mixture onto the chicken, both skin-side and cavity side.¼ cup olive oil, 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked
- Toss the halved baby potatoes, onion slices, and garlic with the rest of the seasoning, lemon juice, and oil in the cast iron pan.2 lb baby potatoes, Juice of 2 lemons, 1 medium yellow onion, 2 heads garlic
- Roast the chicken for 50-60 minutes, turning halfway through for even cooking, until the skin is deeply golden brown (and if using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature reads 160℉ to 165℉ in the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone). Once done, remove from the oven.
- Take the chicken from the cast iron pan and place it on a clean cutting board. Remove the potatoes from the pan as well with a slotted spoon to a serving plate. You'll be left with a pan sauce in the pan! Let chicken rest for 10 minutes to redistribute juices.
- Carve the chicken on the cutting board and serve with potatoes and the pan sauce.
Recipe Notes
How to Spatchcock a Whole Chicken
- Flip the chicken backbone-side up (breast-side down) on a cutting board. Use sharp kitchen shears to carefully cut out the backbone, cutting up both sides.
- Flip the chicken over, breast-side up. Splay the thighs so the chicken is as flat as possible, as shown.
- Then use the heel of your palms to press down and firmly crack the breastbone in the chicken, which will make the breasts lay flatter. Your chicken is now spatchcocked!
Storage and Reheating
Put the chicken and potatoes into an airtight container for up to 4 days. Keep the pan sauce in a separate container so the potatoes don't soak it all up. Reheat the dish in the microwave until warm, nothing fancy needed!Variations and Pro Tips
-
- If you're using a bigger or smaller bird than in the recipe, use a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh to keep track of the temperature.
-
- Roast the chicken by itself and make mashed potatoes instead of having the roasted potatoes in the pan.
-
- Cut the wing tips off and save them alongside the backbone for that chicken stock. This way, you don't have to worry about them burning!
-
- If you don't have a cast iron skillet, a baking dish works perfectly.
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