Oven roasted spatchcocked chicken is the ultimate way to get juicy, flavorful and delicious meat every time.
Oven roasted spatchcocked chicken
From the recipe collection of Tara Ippolito
This oven roasted spatchcocked chicken makes the juiciest and most flavorful meat ever.
Spatchcocking chicken in general has its benefits. The meat roasts faster, more evenly and the skin gets super crispy.

Click here to see how that method is done.
Add some compound butter to it and WOW.
You’ve truly got yourself a winning chicken dinner. Oven roasted chicken to absolute perfection!

This recipe for oven roasted spatchcocked chicken is incredibly delicious. It is a family favorite at my house for sure.
I know if you try it, you’ll just love it too.

Serve this oven roasted chicken along side these crispy roasted potatoes, the best macaroni and cheese or roasted broccoli. So good!
Tips for the best oven roasted spatchcocked chicken
Here are some great tips for making your roasted chicken the absolute best that it can be.

- Pat the chicken skin dry. Regardless of whether you wash your chicken or not. Patting it dry and removing moisture will help the skin crisp when it cooks.
- Soften the butter. Softened butter will help incorporate the other ingredients much better. It will also be much easier to spread underneath the chicken skin.
- Oil the skin. Using butter under the skin only and oil on the skin itself will make sure the meat is juicy and the skin is crispy. The oil will hold up to the heat of the oven much better.
What is spatchcocking?
Spatchcocking a chicken is a method used to roast chicken faster and more evenly.

The spine is removed completely and the chicken is pressed down flat with the legs inverted and wing tips removed.
I have a separate post on how to do this and all of its benefits HERE.
Do I have to spatchcock the chicken?
Absolutely not.
If you’re into the traditional way of roasting a whole chicken then by all means, go for it.

I like this method for the presentation and benefits that I mentioned above and in my blog post.
But this is completely up to you. If you’d rather roast it traditionally, use the compound butter and cook it how you’d like.
What is compound butter?
Don’t let this fancy word intimidate you.
Compound butter just basically means that something (usually more then one ingredient) has been added to it.

The point is to add in lots of delicious flavor into the butter itself.
Compound butter variations
There are lots of variations to make with compound butter. Pretty much any flavors you like you can add to this and feel free to remove any that you don’t like also.

Here are some examples:
- rosemary
- thyme
- sage
- chives
- garlic
- basil
- tarragon
I used fresh herbs for this recipe but dried work just the same here too.
Oven roasted spatchcocked chicken ingredients

- Whole chicken
- Softened butter
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder
- garlic
- thyme
- rosemary
- Olive oil
- Paprika
Instructions
First, spatchcock your chicken. HERE is how to do that. If you’d rather leave it whole just the way it is, that’s fine too.

Now using a paper towel or kitchen towel, pat the chicken skin dry. Try to remove as much moisture as you can.

Then in a small bowl, add a stick of softened butter.

Now add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, chopped garlic, thyme and chopped rosemary.

Stir the ingredients into the butter until it’s evenly combined.

Then place the chicken into a baking sheet with a tall lip or roasting pan.

Next, lift the skin of the chicken and spread the compound butter on top of the meat and under the skin.

Be sure to spread it all under the skin and cover as much meat as possible. By the way, you don’t need to use all of the butter if you think its too much for the size chicken you are using.

Then drizzle the olive oil on top of the chicken. Rub it evenly into the skin.

Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika evenly on top of the olive oil.

Place the chicken into a 400° oven.

Now roast the chicken at 400° for about 50 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°

Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before slicing into it and serve warm.

Oven roasted spatchcocked chicken recipe video
Oven Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 5 pound Roasting Chicken
- 1 stick Butter (softened)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tbs Fresh Thyme
- 1 tbs Fresh Rosemary (Chopped into small pieces
- 4 tbs Olive Oil
- 2 tbs Paprika
Instructions
- First, remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken
- Now butterfly/spatchcock the chicken by removing the back bone and wing tips. Then flip the chicken over and invert the legs. Press down hard on the breast plate until the bone cracks and the chicken flattens
- Then, using a paper towel or kitchen towel, pat the chicken dry and remove as much moisture as possible from the skin. Place the chicken on a tall lipped baking sheet or roasting pan
- In a small bowl, add the butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme. Stir all the ingredients into the butter until its evenly combined
- Now lift up the skin of the chicken and place the butter underneath it. Be sure to move the butter down into the legs and all over any meat. Use as much better as you'd like. You don't need to use the whole thing if you feel its too much.
- Then drizzle the olive oil on top of the chickens skin and rub it evenly all over.
- Season the skin on top of the olive oil with salt, pepper and paprika
- Bake the chicken at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes or until the chickens internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Baste the chicken once it produces its own juice in the pan about two times during the cooking process.
- Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm.

About Al Dente Diva
Tara Ippolito is a self taught home cook from New Jersey and cookbook author of Fast, Simple, Delicious. Better known as “T” across social media, she makes easy to follow recipes using familiar ingredients. T uses her Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest channels to share recipes and cooking tips for everyday people. Her motivation to share with her followers is simple. To inspire people to cook and become more comfortable in the kitchen.
As a wife and busy mother of two little boys she she’s always cooking fast family friendly meals. Sharing her kitchen with others that want to learn is a true passion of hers. As her social media platforms continue to grow she is committed to delivering consistently delicious content to her followers.
8 Comments
OMG this chicken was AMAZING! Tender and juicy and my kids gobbled it up. I chose Dan’Os chipotle for the top of the skin and it was perfect.
That sounds sooo good!! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know 💜
When you says “roast” do you actually mean to select the “roast” setting or Is it “bake” at 400?
Im sorry for the confusion. I meant bake it
This recipe, as with all the ones I’ve tried of yours, was amazing!! Thank you so much! Big fan!
Hey Amanda, thanks so much for dropping my and leavening a nice comment. I really appreciate it so much.
[…] If you’d like to roast your own chicken I have great recipe for that HERE. […]
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