Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Gravy Vinaigrette
Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Gravy Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Roast Chicken
- 1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds, spatchcocked
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt, or as needed for dry brining
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 shallots, large, halved lengthwise
- 1 lemon, halved horizontally
- 2 heads garlic, halved horizontally
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, thyme, sage, roughly chopped
For the Gravy Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chives, fresh, finely chopped, for garnish
- 1 lemon wedge, for garnish
Instructions
- 1
Spatchcock the chicken: Place the whole chicken breast-side down on a cutting board. Using sturdy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from the tail to the neck to remove it. Save the backbone and neck pieces to enrich the pan drippings for the sauce. Flip the chicken over and press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. This helps it cook more evenly and provides more surface area for crispy skin.
⏱️ 10 min
- 2
Dry Brine (Optional, but recommended): Place the spatchcocked chicken on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Generously season both sides of the chicken with coarse salt. Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator, uncovered, and let it sit overnight (for 8-12 hours). This dry brine allows the salt to penetrate the meat and dries out the skin, resulting in beautifully golden and crackly skin when roasted. If short on time, you can salt the chicken and roast it right away.
⏱️ 5 min
- 3
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Prepare the aromatics for roasting: Slice the shallots in half lengthwise. Slice the lemon in half horizontally. Cut the garlic heads in half horizontally, exposing the cloves.
⏱️ 5 min•🌡️ 400
- 4
Build the roasting base: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large oven-safe pan or cast-iron skillet. Place the cut shallots, lemons, and garlic halves cut-side down in the pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes until they are caramelized and browned, building flavor. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock into the pan to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the fresh herbs to the pan, creating a bed. Place the reserved chicken neck and backbone pieces among the herbs and aromatics in the pan.
⏱️ 10 min
- 5
Roast the chicken: Carefully place the spatchcocked chicken on top of the bed of aromatics and herbs in the pan. Drizzle olive oil generously over the chicken skin. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Roast for 45-60 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching bone) registers 165°F and the skin is golden and crispy.
⏱️ 60 min•🌡️ 400
- 6
Make the Gravy Vinaigrette: Once the chicken is roasted, remove it from the pan and set aside on a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes. Remove the chicken neck and backbone pieces from the pan. Squeeze the soft, roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into the pan drippings. Squeeze the juice from the roasted lemon halves into the pan. Add the Dijon mustard to the pan. Whisk vigorously to combine all the ingredients in the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and continue to whisk until well combined. Strain the gravy vinaigrette through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any solids, resulting in a smooth sauce.
⏱️ 10 min
- 7
Serve: Pour some of the gravy vinaigrette onto a serving platter. Carve the rested chicken into pieces (breasts, drumsticks, thighs) and arrange them on the platter over the gravy. Arrange the sweet roasted shallots around the chicken. Garnish with chopped chives and a fresh lemon wedge. Spoon additional gravy vinaigrette over the carved chicken before serving.
⏱️ 5 min
Kitchen Tools
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Gravy Vinaigrette
For the Roast Chicken
- 1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds, spatchcocked
- 2 tablespoons coarse salt, or as needed for dry brining
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 4 shallots, large, halved lengthwise
- 1 lemon, halved horizontally
- 2 heads garlic, halved horizontally
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, thyme, sage, roughly chopped
For the Gravy Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chives, fresh, finely chopped, for garnish
- 1 lemon wedge, for garnish
Instructions
- 1
Spatchcock the chicken: Place the whole chicken breast-side down on a cutting board. Using sturdy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from the tail to the neck to remove it. Save the backbone and neck pieces to enrich the pan drippings for the sauce. Flip the chicken over and press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. This helps it cook more evenly and provides more surface area for crispy skin.
⏱️ 10 min - 2
Dry Brine (Optional, but recommended): Place the spatchcocked chicken on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Generously season both sides of the chicken with coarse salt. Transfer the chicken to the refrigerator, uncovered, and let it sit overnight (for 8-12 hours). This dry brine allows the salt to penetrate the meat and dries out the skin, resulting in beautifully golden and crackly skin when roasted. If short on time, you can salt the chicken and roast it right away.
⏱️ 5 min - 3
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Prepare the aromatics for roasting: Slice the shallots in half lengthwise. Slice the lemon in half horizontally. Cut the garlic heads in half horizontally, exposing the cloves.
⏱️ 5 min•🌡️ 400 - 4
Build the roasting base: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large oven-safe pan or cast-iron skillet. Place the cut shallots, lemons, and garlic halves cut-side down in the pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes until they are caramelized and browned, building flavor. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock into the pan to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the fresh herbs to the pan, creating a bed. Place the reserved chicken neck and backbone pieces among the herbs and aromatics in the pan.
⏱️ 10 min - 5
Roast the chicken: Carefully place the spatchcocked chicken on top of the bed of aromatics and herbs in the pan. Drizzle olive oil generously over the chicken skin. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Roast for 45-60 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching bone) registers 165°F and the skin is golden and crispy.
⏱️ 60 min•🌡️ 400 - 6
Make the Gravy Vinaigrette: Once the chicken is roasted, remove it from the pan and set aside on a cutting board to rest for at least 10 minutes. Remove the chicken neck and backbone pieces from the pan. Squeeze the soft, roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into the pan drippings. Squeeze the juice from the roasted lemon halves into the pan. Add the Dijon mustard to the pan. Whisk vigorously to combine all the ingredients in the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and continue to whisk until well combined. Strain the gravy vinaigrette through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any solids, resulting in a smooth sauce.
⏱️ 10 min - 7
Serve: Pour some of the gravy vinaigrette onto a serving platter. Carve the rested chicken into pieces (breasts, drumsticks, thighs) and arrange them on the platter over the gravy. Arrange the sweet roasted shallots around the chicken. Garnish with chopped chives and a fresh lemon wedge. Spoon additional gravy vinaigrette over the carved chicken before serving.
⏱️ 5 min