Hello, chicken recipe of summer! This grilled spatchcock chicken with lemon and oregano is unbelievably juicy, but has crispy skin (which, duh, is everyones favorite part!).
With a quick marinade time — 20-30 minutes, whatever you can manage — and a really hands off approach to cooking, there is no reason not to run to the store and grab a whole Farmer Focus chicken and get this on the grill today.
Here’s why we love grilling spatchcock chicken so much:
- The benefit of cooking a chicken that is spatchcocked: more direct contact with the heat source leads to a more evenly cooked bird. No dried out chicken here!
- It feeds a good size group: approximately 6-8 servings, depending on the size of the chicken!
- Juicy meat, but super crispy skin — this is a result from cooking over both direct and indirect heat on the grill.
- Easiest marinade / rub EVER. The chicken gets an olive oil rub down, and then is seasoned with dried oregano and Kosher salt. That is it.
- Own a smoker? You can easily follow the instructions below to make a smoked spatchcock chicken and get an even deeper flavor. It’s just so good!
You’ll be making this spatchcock chicken all summer long, and so will we!
Love chicken? You absolutely must try these Roasted Cornish Game Hens next!
What Is Spatchcock Chicken?
Spatchcock refers to “butterflying” poultry, and can be used to describe chicken, turkey, or any other type of bird that’s had the backbone removed. Once the bone is out, the bird can be opened up (kind of like a book) and pressed down so that it lays flat. (see below)
What is the benefit of spatchcocking? Easy! More direct contact with the heat source! So in this instance — either grilled or smoked spatchcock chicken — the meat rests directly on the grill or smoker grates (versus something like a beer can chicken, where the bird is standing up).
The end result? More evenly cooked meat, across the whole chicken! No more over cooked dark meat (legs and thighs) while you wait for the white meat (breast) to fully cook. Three cheers for juicy, succulent chicken every single time!
And before you ask, yes, you can absolutely roast a spatchcock chicken too! We do this a lot in the fall, seasoning the chicken with things like rosemary, shallots, and olives — so delish!
Ingredients For Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
- Farmer Focus Organic & Free Range Whole Young Chicken, whole or already spatchcocked
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving, we recommend baby arugula, grilled lemon halves, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
You’ll also need either a gas grill or a pellet smoker. We’re including instructions for making a smoked spatchcock chicken on a Traeger grill below.
What if I can’t find a spatchcocked chicken at the store? You can either ask a butcher or someone from the meat department to remove the backbone for you (they will happily do this at no cost!) or you can spatchcock the chicken yourself.
How to spatchcock a chicken or turkey: Grab a sharp pair of kitchen shears, lay the chicken on a flat surface with the breast down and the legs directly in front of you. Use the shears to cut through the rib bone on both sides, then simply lift away and discard (or save for homemade chicken stock!).
After the backbone is removed, turn the chicken over (so that the bones are in direct contact with the cutting board) and use the palm of your hands to firmly press down on the bird so that it lays flat.
How To Grill A Whole Chicken
- Season the chicken. Brush or drizzle 3 Tbsp olive oil on both sides of the chicken. Sprinkle liberally all over with 2 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Marinate the chicken. Allow the chicken the marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the grill. Preheat 1 or 2 grates of a grill over medium-high heat (direct heat), but leave the remaining burners turned off (for indirect cooking).
- Grill the chicken. Place the chicken skin side down over direct heat, then cook for 5 minutes. Flip the bird so its skin side up and move it over to indirect heat. Cook for ~40-45 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165F is reached. Rest the meat for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
- Grill the lemons. Meanwhile, grill the lemons. While the chicken is cooking over indirect heat, place the lemon halves over direct heat, cut side down, and grill for about 1 minute per side. Remove and set aside.
- To serve: cut the chicken into quarters, then slice the breast meat into strips. Serve with arugula, grilled lemons, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.
We recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
What To Serve With Spatchcock Chicken
You could go in any number of ways with the side dishes, but we are loving grilled asparagus and a quick + simple lemon orzo!
To make the grilled asparagus:
- Trim the ends off asparagus, then place on a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with about 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and about ½ tsp Kosher salt. Wrap tightly with foil, then grill over medium-high heat for 4 minutes per side. To serve, squeeze half of a grilled lemon on top, then sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
To make lemon orzo:
- Cook orzo according to al dente according to package directions. Once cooked, strain then drizzle with 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon), and ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Stir to combine, then serve with fresh baby arugula and lots of freshly cracked black pepper.
Other quick and easy side dishes:
- Well Seasoned house salad
- Roasted broccoli
- Smoked potato salad
- Tomato and onion salad
- Red skin mashed potatoes
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
Have you explored the wonderful world of pellet grills yet? We are mega obsessed with our Traeger pellet grill and wanted to be sure to include instructions for making stellar smoked spatchcock chicken at home! It’s a very similar process, but you get the added benefit of smoky undertones throughout the chicken. Think hickory, applewood, oak, etc. It’s really fun to play around with the flavor profile!
Here’s how to make a smoked spatchcock chicken (these instructions are specifically for a Traeger grill, but the process will be similar for most smokers):
- Season the chicken. Prepare the chicken according to instructions below, then marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the smoker. Turn the Traeger grill on and preheat to a temperature of 375 F. Make sure the pellet feeder is loaded. We recommend hickory, applewood, or oak wood pellets.
- Smoke the spatchcock chicken. Place the chicken on the Traeger, insert the probe into the meat being sure not to hit bone, and cook for 30 minutes skin side down.
- Lower the temperature. Drop the temperature to 325 F, then carefully flip the bird over (it should now be skin side up). Cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the probe indicates an internal temperature of 165 F has been reached.
- Rest, then serve. Allow the smoked chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. Follow remaining instructions for grilling lemon halves (for serving).
Own a Traeger grill and love seafood? ‘Mkay, us too! Make sure to check out these incredibly delish smoked lobster tails and clams! But perhaps our most loved smoking recipe is for these crispy chicken wings — they are earth shatteringly crunchy!!
One Marinade, Many Different Meals
This lemon oregano marinade is our go-to for grilling chicken. We use it not just on spatchcocked chicken, but also on chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless), chicken thighs, and chicken wings. It’s basically our Well Seasoned house chicken marinade — so whatever cut of chicken you can get your hands on, this is the marinade for you!
100% this grilled (or smoked!) whole chicken tastes like summer! It’s light and vibrant (thanks lemon juice, we owe you one!), quick to prep, has super crispy skin, and remains oh so juicy. Major bonus? Every single child in the Well Seasoned household gobbled this up. If that ain’t a glowing review, we just don’t know what is.
If you make this Grilled Spatchcock Chicken, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more grilling recipes, check out the following:
- Crispy grilled chicken wings
- Grilled jalapeño poppers
- Blackened salmon with pineapple-avocado salsa
- Grilled Lobster Tails and Clams
- Potato salad with burrata and snap peas
Grilled Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 4 – 4 ½ lb Farmer Focus whole chicken spatchcocked (backbone removed) — instructions below!
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
For serving
- Arugula
- 4 lemons halved
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Season the chicken. Brush or drizzle 3 Tbsp olive oil on both sides of the chicken. Sprinkle liberally all over with 2 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Marinate the chicken. Allow the chicken the marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the grill. Preheat 1 or 2 grates of a grill over medium-high heat (direct heat), but leave the remaining burners turned off (for indirect cooking).
- Grill the chicken. Place the chicken skin side down over direct heat, then cook for 5 minutes. Flip the bird so its skin side up and move it over to indirect heat. Cook for ~40-45 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165F is reached. Rest the meat for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
- Grill the lemons. Meanwhile, grill the lemons. While the chicken is cooking over indirect heat, place the lemon halves over direct heat, cut side down, and grill for about 1 minute per side. Remove and set aside.
- To serve: cut the chicken into quarters, then slice the breast meat into strips. Serve with arugula, grilled lemons, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- If you can’t find a spatchcock chicken at the store, grab a whole bird and ask the butcher or someone from the meat department to remove the backbone for you. You can also cut it out at home yourself. Instructions below.
- How to spatchcock a chicken or turkey: Grab a sharp pair of kitchen shears, lay the chicken on a flat surface with the breast down and the legs directly in front of you. Use the shears to cut through the rib bone on both sides, then simply lift away and discard (or save for homemade chicken stock!).
- Instructions for smoked spatchcock chicken can be found in the original blog post.
- Use the same lemon oregano marinade on any cut of chicken: breasts (bone-in or boneless), thighs (bone-in or boneless), or chicken wings
- Chicken can be left in the marinade for up to 8 hours or overnight, but is fine to grill after 20-30 minutes.
Nutrition
*This post was sponsored by Kings Food Market. All opinions are my own. I only support and promote brands that I believe in and use in my own kitchen – I hope you’ll check them out! Thank you for supporting the brands that make Well Seasoned possible.
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