There aren’t too many things I fear in the kitchen anymore. I’ve tackled just about all of my phobias over the past few years (yeast, caramel, and frying, just to name a few). Whole chickens, though? Scary….very scary. Roasting a chicken doesn’t seem like it should be difficult, but I can’t even begin to tell you how many different recipes I’ve used in an attempt to master the technique. My main problem is my inability, even with a completely functional digital thermometer, to determine when the chicken is cooked properly. On more than one occasion I’ve pulled a chicken out of the oven, thinking it was cooked, only to cut into it after it had rested and find some not-so-cooked portions. I’ve tried to test the chicken by piercing it and seeing if the juices ran clear, but I found that often the juices would run clear and yet the meat near the bone wouldn’t be completely cooked. Plus, if you pierce your chicken enough, all of the juices run out and you’re going to wind up with dry chicken (never a good thing). I also lack any skills in butchering and always manage to mangle the poor chicken. I’m such a big fan of the flavor of roasted chicken, though, that I refused to give up on the hope that I’d eventually get it right.
I may be well on my way with this recipe. I’ve made this chicken not once, but twice, just this week – that’s how much I love it. The first step in the process is, of course, to flatten the chicken. To do that you remove the backbone from your chicken with scissors, then flip it over and apply pressure to the breastbone to flatten. In an ovenproof skillet, you brown the bird skin side down, then flip it over and pop the pan in the oven to finish the cooking process. Because the chicken has been flattened, it cooks faster than it would had it been kept in tact. I’ve had much better luck determining doneness using my digital thermometer with the chicken flattened in the pan, and I’ve also found it so much easier to cut the chicken into pieces for serving. Most importantly, the chicken is flavorful and moist. This recipe includes two different sauces you can make to serve with the chicken and while they’re delicious, I didn’t make them the second time I used the recipe, and I still enjoyed the chicken a lot so I consider them optional.
Flat Roast Chicken
from Lucina Scala Quinn
1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Place the chicken on a clean work surface, breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove (you can save it for stock if you want). Open the chicken’s legs and spread the bird down flat, skin side up. With both hands, press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten. Pat the chicken dry then season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron – I use my 12″ pan, which has plenty of room for the bird) over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. Place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down. Let the chicken brown without moving, about 3 minutes. Once it has browned, gently flip the chicken over so it is skin-side up. Transfer the pan to the oven.
Roast the chicken until it is golden brown and cooked through or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 165 F. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of butter to pan, swirling to combine; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, the red pepper flakes, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with the pan sauce and olive oil mixture.
Looks great…I have never done this method, so I need to give it a try soon. Thanks for the tips.
This was very tasty the first time and also great for leftovers!
This is a method for cooking chicken I’ve used many times. I think it is one of the best ways. Glad to see you did it so well. BTW, if you have a thermometer, the best place to test the temp is in the thick part of the breast adjacent to where the wings are attached. Also, let the bird come to room temp before cooking for good results.
This looks so beautiful and clean. Love it. I’m going to have to try it. I’ve always been scared to cook a whole chicken, this might just change my mind.
Thanks for sharing.
Jenifer
Looks delicious, I want to try this. I have a cast iron skillet I need to break in!
That chicken looks PERFECT! I have never tried roasting a chicken flat (though I have roasted my share of chickens). I will have to give this a try!
Oh how I love chicken. That one is huge, too!
I’ve never made a flattened roast chicken. It looks great. Have to try this one. roast chicken is so easy.
Nothing beats a good roast chicken and this one looks perfect to me.
Thank you for posting this! For the longest time, I also had a fear of the “roasted chicken!” But I found a very simple recipe and crossed my fingers when it came to cooking time…it worked and it continues to work time and time again. If you do ever decide to try roasting w/o flattening first, you can test for doneness by wiggling one of the legs…if it’s pretty loose, the chicken is done! I’m gonna give your method a try (I also have a fear of seasoning my cast iron…guess that’s another post though).
I was looking on taste spotting for a dinner recipe and I asked my husband what he was in the mood for – he said something fallish – and I said – how about this roast chicken. Then I clicked and it was you Tracey! How great is that?! I’ll let you know how it turns out in our kitchen:)
Very scary, indeed! So scary that I have never roasted a chicken. NEVER! I’m thinking that I’ll have to give this a shot. It worked for you, hopefully it’ll work for me 🙂
I am going to give this a try soon! This is really something new to me.
Hi
I’ve been cooking “roast” chicken like this for some years – far, far tastier and more tender than the standard method.
However, what I do is squeeze into the space between the breast skin and the meat is a mixture consisting of either (or both) butter or olive oil, together with some ground white pepper, garlic, chopped fresh oregano and a little sea salt.
Fantastic.
Ive never had a problem with undercooked chicken, because i always do mine as follows:
weigh chicken, for every 400g of the chicken cook for 20 mins, plus 20 extra mins. Eg. chicken is 900kg, cook for 65-70 mins at 200*
Cover the chicken with foil and rub butter into the skin. Remove foil in the last 20 min and keep basting the chicken
how long in the oven — ballpark?
It’ll depend on the size of your chicken, but for a 3-4 lb bird I’d say it usually takes about 45 minutes in my oven.
I made this chicken a few days ago and it was a lot of work! But it’s true that in the end the chicken was juicier than if roasted the normal way.
Easy peasy, quick and delicious. That pan sauce was great drizzled over the mashed potatoes.
This is my go to recipe when I have friends coming over for dinner. It always turns out so well!
How can I cook this the outdoor grill?
@Anonymous – I’ve never tried to grill it, but here’s my best guess: Set your grill with direct flame on one side and the other side cooler. I’d sear it over the direct flame, then move it to the cooler side to finish the cooking. Not sure on the times – you’ll have to keep an eye on it and check the temp. Good luck!