I’ve done a bunch of variations of roast chicken over the years. This version I’ve found to be my favorite. Spatchcocking makes the bird cook faster, crisp up more, and break down easier when it’s done. And it’s kind of fun to do, once you get the hang of it.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ to 4-pound chicken
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Steps
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
On a cutting board, add chicken breast side down. With a knife, cut out the backbone of the chicken. (I just cook the backbone with the rest of the chicken.) Next, flip chicken over, breast side up. Press firmly on breastbone to flatten. Salt and pepper the underside of the chicken.
Next, take the chicken and place breast side down on a wire rack on top of a pan. Dry it well with a paper towel (this aids in getting it to crisp up). Rub chicken with 1 Tbsp butter over and under the skin. Season with salt and pepper, all over.
Roast for 40 to 50 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer to make sure internal temperature is at least 150 degrees. Let rest 10 minutes, before slicing.
While chicken is resting, make the sauce. Pour the drippings and the fond into a small pan. Heat up to medium-high heat.
Add shallots and cook until they start to break down. Then add the white wine. Cook down until you can run a spatula through the middle, and it takes a bit for the sauce to fill back in.
Add butter and cook it down a bit more. Add a bit of parsley, if you have it.