One Pan Oven Spatchcocked Chicken and Vegetables {Whole30, Paleo)
This one-pan oven spatchcocked chicken and vegetables is the fastest way to cook a whole chicken in the oven! This recipe is paleo, whole30, and AIP-friendly.
What is a Spatchcocked Chicken?
The spatchcock method is where the spine is removed from a chicken (or other poultry) so it can easily be laid flat on a cook surface. Spatchcocking helps to cook the poultry much more quickly and evenly than cooking it whole! Think of it like a quick hack for delicious chicken that just takes some simple butchering.
The Ingredients to make this One Pan Oven Spatchcocked Chicken and Vegetables
- Whole chicken. The exact size of the chicken will change the cook time a bit, but it’s still possible to use this method with a larger or smaller chicken.
- Avocado oil or ghee. Butter is always the best for flavor with a whole chicken, but ghee works if you’re lactose-free, or avocado oil if you’re avoiding ghee.
- Fresh herbs. Thyme, parsley and rosemary are all great!
- Lemon. Lemon juice adds some acid and brightness to the chicken.
- Vegetables. For this recipe, I used parsnip, carrot, and onion. Sweet potato and brussels sprouts would be another good choice. I’ve tried this recipe with broccoli, but it burned so I don’t recommend trying that!
The tools for spatchcocking a chicken
- Poultry shears. Since you’ll still be cutting through bone, I highly recommend going with something like this rather than regular kitchen scissors.
- Butcher and carving knife. The butcher knife is helpful for cutting the sternum, and the carving knife is helpful for carving the chicken once it’s cooked.
How to Spatchcock a Chicken
- Prepare a clean surface and lay the chicken breast side down.
- Using sharp butcher scissors, carefully cut up the spine on both sides. Either discard the spine, or save it for broth.
3. While the chicken is still breast-side down and you’re looking at the interior bones of the chicken, find the sternum bone. The sternum will be on the opposite side of the breast, where the breasts meet, and will be elevated as compared to the rest of the chicken. Use a butcher knife to cut through the bone. This allows the chicken to lay flat.
How to make One-Pan Oven Spatchcocked Chicken and Vegetables
- Spatchcock the chicken (as described above).
- Prep the herbed ghee. Combine the ghee or oil with the herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon juice.
- Prep the chicken. Flip the chicken (breast side up) onto the baking sheet. Spread about half of the herbed ghee under the chicken skin, and finish with extra on top, reserving some for the vegetables.
- Add the vegetables. Add the vegetables to the baking dish, surrounding the chicken. Top with the remainder of the oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. Toss to coat.
- Bake. Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of the chicken), tossing the vegetables halfway through. The internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast should read 165 F.
- Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before topping with parsley and carving the chicken.
Can you use butter instead of ghee?
If you tolerate butter, you can certainly use that instead!
Can you use this same method for other poultry?
You can! Though the cook times will vary, spatchcocking is also a great method for something like turkey.
What other vegetables can you use?
Here are some great vegetables to serve with this recipe…
- Carrot
- Parsnip
- Sweet potato
- White potato
- Onion
- Brussels sprouts
Avoid anything that has a shorter cook time to avoid burning.
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One Pan Oven Spatchcocked Chicken and Vegetables
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3.5–4.5 lbs)
- 3 tbsp ghee (sub avocado oil/coconut oil for AIP)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup parsnips, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare a clean surface and lay the chicken breast side down.
- Using sharp butcher scissors, carefully cut up along the spine on both sides, removing the spine from the back of the chicken. Either discard the spine or save for broth.
- While the chicken is still breast-side down and you’re looking at the interior/bones of the chicken, find the sternum bone. The sternum will be on the opposite side of the breast, where the breasts meet and will be raised as compared to the rest of the chicken. Use a butcher knife to cut through the bone. This allows the chicken to lay flat.
- Prep the herbed ghee (or oil) by combining the ghee or oil with the herbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon juice.
- Flip the chicken (breast side up) onto the baking sheet. Tuck the wings under the chicken to avoid burning the tips of the wings.
- Spead about half of the herbed ghee under the chicken skin, and finish with extra on top, reserving some for the vegetables.
- Add the vegetables to the baking dish, surrounding the chicken. Top with the remainder of herbed ghee. Toss to coat.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes (time will vary depending on the size of the chicken), tossing the vegetables halfway through. The internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast should read 165 F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before topping with parsley and carving the chicken.
Notes
All nutrition facts are estimated and will vary.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 457
- Fat: 18.4
- Carbohydrates: 18.4 grams
- Fiber: 4.7 grams
- Protein: 52.8 grams
AIP
Low Carb
Paleo
Whole30
