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Grilled Citrus Herb Spatchcocked Chicken Recipe


Spatchcocked chicken on the grill
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4.42 from 142 votes
Elevate your grilled chicken game with this recipe for citrus herb rubbed spatchcocked chicken. Not only is it juicy and flavorful, the spatchcocking method ensures all parts are cooked evenly. Not familiar with spatchcocking poultry? The video below shows you how!
Serve with: a citrus IPA.

Course:
Dinner
,
Main Course
Cuisine:
American
difficulty scale

Makes:

Servings: 4 servings

Takes:

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 4 pound whole chicken
  • 2 teaspoons  Morton Coarse Kosher Salt 
  • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
Notes:
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
 
Metric conversion:

These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page

Method

  • Prep. To spatchcock the chicken, use kitchen shears or poultry shears to cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove the backbone.
    Removing the backbone from a chicken
  • Turn the chicken over and flatten it by pressing down on the breasts with your palms. You may hear the breast bone crack, which is fine.
    Flattened spatchcocked chicken on cutting board
  • Prepare the citrus herb paste by combining the salt, lemon zest, rosemary, paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and olive oil in a small bowl. Blend well until all ingredients are incorporated into a paste.
  • Rub the chicken skin all over with the citrus herb paste.
  • Fire up. Prepare a smoker for indirect cooking. Alternatively, you can set up a charcoal grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of pre-heated charcoal briquets on one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the smoker or grill vents to bring the temperature to about 325°F (162.8°C) and add 2 to 3 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 325°F (162.8°C) on the indirect side.
  • Cook. Place the spatchcocked chicken skin side up on the indirect side of the grill, positioning it so that the legs are facing the heat source.
  • Cover the grill and allow the spatchcocked chicken to cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71.1°C), approximately 1 hour. Place the chicken skin side down over direct heat and cook until the skin is crisp, approximately 4 minutes.
  • Serve. Remove the chicken from the grill, carve, and serve immediately with any juices from the cutting board.
    Carved and plated chicken