This is Karen Z's famous Spatchcock Chicken. Spatchcocking means to remove the spine of a chicken and break the breast bone, so that the chicken lays completely flat during the cooking process. This allows for very even cooking temperatures and a beautiful presentation. Feel free to use your favorite sides and season to your satisfaction. The ingredient list below intentionally leaves quantities blank, so you can adjust for your taste preference and the number of servings. A 5lb chicken should feed 4-6 people.
Click Here for the Karen Z's Spatchcock Chicken video.
Start by dicing up the potatoes, mincing the garlic, cutting the onions into thin strips, and slicing the lemons.
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, ginger, garlic, bourbon smoked pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Then pour that over your potatoes and shake the bowl to get them well coated.
If your skillet is large enough, you can cook the veggies with the chicken; if not, use a second skillet or roasting pan. Put down in layers of asparagus, potatoes, onions, asparagus, and a final layer of potatoes.
Now on to the chicken. With the whole chicken breast side down, use your shears to cut along one side of the spine. Then cut along the other side of the spine to completely remove it. To make breaking the breast bone easier, you can take a knife and cut the cartilage along the breast bone, but that is not necessary. Now flip the chicken over and press down with both hands, using the weight of your body on the center on the breasts to crack the breast bone. The chicken should now lay flat. If you have any question about this step, be sure to watch the video.
Coat the chicken with olive oil and brush to get a nice even coating. Sprinkle on sea salt, ginger, garlic, bourbon smoked pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Rub the mix all over the chicken and don't forget to get up under the skin.
If your skillet is large enough to fit the veggies and the chicken together continue the next steps on top of the veggies; if not, you can use a second skillet. Place a layer of lemon slices on the bottom with a few sprigs of thyme. Place the chicken flat on top and garnish with more lemon slices and thyme. Pour a little white wine into the skillet and some more into a glass for yourself.
Set the oven to 450˚F and cook for about 45 minutes. After about 40 minutes check the temperature with a meat thermometer at the thickest part of the thigh being careful not to touch the bone with the probe. It is done when the temperature reaches 165˚F.
Enjoy!
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