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Juicy BBQ spatchcock chicken served with roasted carrots and green beans, plated with a side of dipping sauce on a white dish.

Spatchcock Chicken with Homemade Chipotle BBQ Sauce

How to spatchcock a chicken like a pro: remove the backbone, flatten, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper, roast at 425°F over a bed of root vegetables and baste with a homemade mason-jar chipotle BBQ sauce. A complete dinner on one pan.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 1 whole chicken about 4-5 lb
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for the vegetables
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt or to coat generously
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups root vegetables potatoes, carrots, onions; chopped and tossed in oil, salt and pepper
Homemade BBQ sauce
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup fresh chives diced
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup molasses
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo minced
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 dash kosher salt

Method
 

  1. Place the chicken breast-side down and cut along both sides of the backbone with sharp kitchen shears; remove it. Flip the chicken and press down on the breastbone until it lies flat.
  2. Rub olive oil all over the skin (under the wings too) and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Shake all the BBQ sauce ingredients together in a mason jar. (Keeps in the fridge up to 7 days.)
  4. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the oiled, seasoned root vegetables over it. Set the chicken on top so air can circulate underneath, and brush it all over with BBQ sauce.
  5. Roast at 425°F for 25 minutes, then baste with more sauce every 10 minutes for another 30-40 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part of the breast.
  6. Rest 10-15 minutes. Cut off the legs and thighs, then the wings, then the breast meat, and arrange on a platter with the vegetables and extra sauce for dipping.

Notes

Spatchcocking cooks the bird faster and more evenly. The sauce is also perfect on crockpot baby back ribs.