Spatchcock Chicken for 4

Introduction to Spatchcocked Chicken

With decades of cooking and testing recipes under my apron, I’m no spring chicken. But I certainly love to eat a good spring chicken, especially if preparing the meal for my family entails an easy recipe that’s built on inexpensive, everyday pantry ingredients and fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. This simple, budget-minded dinner for four is perfect for the first sunny days of spring.

The Benefits of Spatchcocking a Chicken

Nothing is more comforting than the aroma of a roasting chicken, but when you’re busy with work or kids or just would rather spend those two or three hours outdoors, you might consider that a stuck-indoors, winter activity. Yet if you follow my lead and spatchcock (butterfly) a whole bird — removing the backbone and then cracking it with the heel of your hands to flatten it — you will not only cut precious cooking time in half, but the breasts and thighs will also cook more evenly.

Planning the Meal

As for the sides, shine a light on carrots and a salad of tender butterhead lettuce tossed with crunchy radish and cucumber. To keep costs down, I shopped at several stores rather than filling my shopping cart at the most convenient (and often more expensive) grocery. For instance, when a whole roaster chicken found where I do most of my everyday shopping looked like it was going to eat up too much of my $25 budget, I talked myself into using chicken thighs instead. Then, I happened to dash into Aldi to pick up a last-minute bag of lemons ($2.89) after a little shoe shopping and, voila! I found a plump, 4-pound roaster in the meat section for just $8.59 and I was back to my original plan.

Smart Shopping Tips

While the carrots I sliced and roasted as a side dish were downright cheap at 99 cents per pound, the $3 I paid for a nice-sized head of fresh Boston lettuce was a bit of a surprise. At least the radishes and cucumber were cheap. Eggs are still kind of pricey, even at today’s “bargain” price of around $5 a dozen. But the crumbly, shortbread-like French butter cookies I made for dessert (followed by late-night snacking) only required two, so no big whoop, right? Not to sound like a broken record, but this probably bears repeating in these tough economic times: Smart shoppers peruse their refrigerators and pantries before they go grocery shopping, both to get some fresh ideas for dinner (what leftovers aren’t people eating?) and to make sure they don’t buy something they already have or need to use up ASAP.

Recipes

Spring Salad with Citrus-Herb Vinaigrette

This zesty vinaigrette gets its bright flavor from citrus and fresh herbs. I added some crumbled feta to give it more bite, but you also could sprinkle it with a little grated Parmesan or add some crunch with homemade croutons (a great way to use up day-old bread).

Ingredients

• 6 ounces mixed spring greens and/or butter lettuce
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs such as basil, parsley or mint
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, optional
  

  Directions

  1. Wash and dry the mixed spring greens and butter lettuce thoroughly.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, maple syrup or honey, Dijon mustard and chopped fresh herbs until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  3. Place salad greens in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, carrots and radishes and toss to combine. Drizzle vinaigrette on top and toss again, making sure all the veggies are coated with the dressing.
  4. Sprinkle feta on top, and serve.

Spatchcocked Roasted Lemon Chicken

The marinade for a roasted spatchcocked chicken includes citrus juice and zest, garlic, fresh herbs and honey.

Ingredients

• 1 4-pound whole chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Cooked rice, for serving
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus 2 sliced lemons
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon honey
  

  Directions

  1. Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the chicken backbone and remove it. (Save the backbone for stock.)
  2. Turn the chicken breast side up and press down on the breastbone to flatten the bird. You may also want to cut the cartilage at the top of breastbone with a sharp knife to open it up more easily.
  3. Season inside the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon and orange juices and zest, and honey.
  5. Pour into a resealable plastic bag (I was able to fit it into a 1-gallon bag) and add the chicken, squishing the bag to coat the chicken. Let rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
  6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
  7. Place the marinated chicken, cut side down, on a cookie sheet. Spoon any marinade on the top and cover with 2 sliced lemons.
  8. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, or until instant read thermometer reads 160 degree when inserted into thickest part of chicken breast.
  9. Remove from the oven and rest uncovered for 10 minutes on a cutting board before slicing.

Honey-roasted Carrots

Could there be an easier recipe? Just slice, toss and roast! A drizzle of honey butter just before serving adds to the subtle sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds whole carrots, peeled
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgins olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Chopped dill or parsley, for garnish, optional
  

  Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Place whole carrots in a baking dish, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix with your hands until carrots are completely covered with oil.
  3. Drizzle honey over top, then season generously with salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
  4. Bake in preheated oven until carrots are just tender, about 30 minutes — they should easily pierce with a fork — or a few minutes longer if you prefer softer carrots.
  5. When carrots are just about done cooking, mix melted butter with honey in a small pan over medium heat.
  6. Remove carrots from oven to a serving platter, then drizzle the butter mixture over them and toss to coat. Garnish with dill or parsley, optional.

Vanilla Sables

Sables are a simple French cookie known — and beloved — for their crumbly, shortbread-like texture. These are flavored with vanilla.

Ingredients

• 1 vanilla pod or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 7 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Demerara or turbinado sugar, for decorating
  

  Directions

  1. Cut the vanilla pod, if using, in half and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds or vanilla bean paste in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer.
  2. Add butter and, using the electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. (I used a KitchenAid stand mixer.)
  3. Add sugar and salt and beat until light and fluffy for a few minutes more.
  4. Add egg yolks and beat until fully combined. Sift in flour in one go and mix on slow speed until mixture resembles sand or gravel. Do not over-mix; it should not form a uniform dough.
  5. Tip the mixture onto a work surface and use your hands to gently bring together in a uniform dough.
  6. Divide the dough in half and roll into two logs 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours or until firm. (If you are in a rush, you can freeze the dough for 30 minutes or until firm.)
  7. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
  8. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it in a few tablespoons of the Demerara sugar, coating the entire outside of the log. (I used regular sugar.)
  9. Using a thin, sharp knife, cut the dough into 5/8 -inch slices and put onto the prepared baking trays. Bake for 20-25 minutes until very lightly browned around the outside.
  10. Leave to cool on trays for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Conclusion

Setting a plate of cookies on the table is always a great way to end a meal. And a new French cookbook that recently landed on my desk made it super