Martha Stewart Roast Spatchcocked Lemon Chicken

Martha Stewart Roast Spatchcocked Lemon Chicken makes an easy family dinner with five ingredients. Flatten the bird, tuck lemon slices under the skin, and roast on a sheet pan with shallots at 425. Golden crackling skin and bright citrus pan juices, no fuss.

Shallots caramelize alongside the chicken, so bread and a green salad finish a cozy Sunday dinner. Press the breastbone flat before seasoning, because that step cuts roasting time nearly in half.

Martha Stewart Roast Spatchcocked Lemon Chicken

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Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Calories

460

kcal

Crisp golden skin stretched tight over juicy lemon-infused meat, with pockets of soft roasted citrus and sweet caramelized shallots in their own pan juices.

Ingredients

• 1 whole 4-pound chicken
  

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  

• 2 lemons, thinly sliced, divided
  

• 6 small shallots (6 ounces), peeled and quartered lengthwise
  

Directions

• Spatchcock the chicken: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Starting at thigh end, cut along 1 side of backbone with kitchen shears. Turn chicken around; cut along other side. Discard backbone or save for stock. Flip chicken, and open it like a book. Press firmly on breastbone to flatten.
• Season and arrange: Rub chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Brush 1 tablespoon oil in the center of a rimmed baking sheet slightly larger than the size of the chicken, and place half the lemon slices in a single layer on top of oil. Place chicken, skin side up, on lemons.
• Tuck the lemons: Beginning at the neck end of breast, carefully loosen skin from flesh of breast and thighs with your fingers. Slide remaining lemon slices under skin in a single layer.
• Roast with shallots: Roast chicken 20 minutes. Toss shallots with remaining teaspoon oil, and scatter around chicken. Continue to roast chicken until a thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reaches 165 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes more.
• Rest and serve: Transfer chicken to a carving board, and let rest 10 minutes. Cut chicken into 8 pieces, and serve with roasted lemons, shallots, and pan juices. If using chicken for soup and salad, let chicken cool completely. Remove and discard skin, lemon under skin, and bones, and shred meat into bite-size pieces. Chicken, roasted lemons, shallots, and pan juices can be refrigerated up to 2 days. Store meat and pan juices in separate containers; lemons and shallots can be stored together.

FAQs

How do you spatchcock a chicken?

Place the chicken breast side down and cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen shears. Save the backbone for stock. Flip the bird over and press firmly on the breastbone until you hear it crack and the chicken lies flat. A sturdy pair of poultry shears makes this a 3-minute job, but heavy-duty scissors work too.

What temperature should a spatchcocked chicken reach?

Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and pull the chicken at 165 degrees F. Spatchcocking cooks the bird more evenly than regular roasting, so the thighs and breasts finish closer to the same time. If the breast hits 165 before the thighs, the thighs are done too because they sit flatter against the hot pan.

Can you make this roast chicken ahead of time?

The cooked chicken, roasted lemons, shallots, and pan juices keep in the fridge up to 2 days. Store the meat and pan juices in separate containers so the meat does not dry out. The shredded chicken works well in soup or over salad the next day, which is exactly how Martha designed this recipe.

What can I use instead of shallots in this recipe?

A medium yellow onion cut into 8 wedges roasts the same way and caramelizes just as well. Pearl onions are another swap: leave them whole and toss with the teaspoon of oil before scattering. Shallots add a slightly milder sweetness, but either substitute works without changing the timing.

Why is my roast chicken skin not crispy?

The most common reason is too much moisture on the skin. Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels before rubbing with oil and salt. The salt draws out remaining moisture during the first 20 minutes of roasting at 425, and the high heat does the rest. Use a sheet pan where the chicken sits with at least an inch of space on all sides, because a crowded pan traps steam.