Perfectly seasoned with herbs, garlic, and a bit of lemon juice for brightness, this spatchcock grilled chicken is a delicious, healthy, and low carb dinner!
Place the chicken on a cutting board, breast-side-down.
Using sharp kitchen shears, cut out the backbone of the chicken, cutting right through the ribs along each side.
Cut out the backbone all the way up each side and through the neck cavity. Remove the bone and save it for making homemade chicken stock, or discard.
With the backbone removed, turn the chicken over and press down firmly in the center of the breasts to flatten it. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, paprika, thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
Carefully loosen skin from chicken; rub the seasoning mixture under and over the skin.
Brush the grill grates with vegetable oil.
Grill the chicken, skin-side down, over direct heat for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown and a bit charred.
Reduce heat to low; flip the chicken and continue to grill for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until an instant read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers at 165˚F. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken.
Remove chicken from grill and tent with foil; let stand for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Keep it clean: Don't rinse the whole chicken, but DO wash your hands before and after handling raw chicken/meat.
Cook thoroughly: Always use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165˚F before you pull it off the grill, or out of the oven.
For Charcoal Grill: Start with cooking the spatchcocked chicken over direct heat for those first several minutes, just until the chicken is a bit charred. Then, flip and move the chicken to continue cooking overindirect heat.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook a whole chicken, how to grill chicken, how to spatchcock a chicken, whole chicken recipes