Cast Iron Roast Spatchcock Chicken Dinner
Make the best cast iron roast spatchcock chicken dinner with potatoes and a lemony pan sauce! Juicy and flavorful, this butterflied whole chicken is the best dinner in a cast iron pan.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 264kcal
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.
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
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- 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.
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- Roast the chicken by itself and make mashed potatoes instead of having the roasted potatoes in the pan.
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- 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!
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- If you don't have a cast iron skillet, a baking dish works perfectly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 2351mg | Potassium: 769mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 126IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg