Recipes

Easy Mediterranean Spatchcocked Chicken

The Daily Meal Staff|

Easy Mediterranean Spatchcocked Chicken
4.5 (2 ratings)
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Lemon juice and grilled lemons add a wonderful brightness to this whole grilled chicken recipe, which is perfect for a family dinner.This recipe is courtesy of Perdue.
Prep Time
9
hours
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
4
Total time: 10 hours
Ingredients
  • 1 fresh whole chicken, preferably perdue fresh whole chicken with giblets or perdue harvestland organic whole chicken with giblets
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 3 lemons
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions
  1. To butterfly a chicken, place it breast-side down on a cutting board.
  2. Use kitchen shears to cut straight up both sides of the backbone from the cavity to the neck.
  3. Remove the backbone and save for chicken stock.
  4. Open the chicken like a book and flip it over so it’s breast-side up.
  5. Press down firmly on the breasts until you hear a pop.
  6. Tie the feet together with butcher twine to make the chicken easier to turn on the grill.
  7. In a glass baking dish, whisk together the olive oil, oregano and garlic plus the zest and juice of 1 lemon.
  8. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
  9. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 8 hours.
  10. Heat a lightly greased grill or grill pan to medium heat.
  11. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip away.
  12. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
  13. Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down, and slowly grill until the skin becomes a crispy golden brown, about 15 minutes.
  14. Turn the chicken over, close the grill cover and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked through, another 30 minutes.
  15. The chicken is done when it feels firm to the touch and a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 170°F.
  16. Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest it 10 minutes before carving.
  17. While the chicken is resting, cut the remaining 2 lemons in half and place on the hot grill.
  18. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes until the lemons have softened and have grill marks.
  19. Cut up the chicken into 8 pieces and place on a serving platter.
  20. Garnish with grilled lemons on the side.
  21. Squeeze grilled lemon juice over the chicken as desired.
 
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