The one intimidating word I left out of the title was spatchcocked. Yes. This chicken is spatchcocked and it tastes so good. I know what you’re thinking. WTH does spatchcocked mean? It sounds like a verb used to describe a murder scene, which technically I guess it could, but that would be very morbid. Spatchcocked refers to how a chicken is prepared before it is roasted or barbecued. More specifically, the backbone is cut or removed and it is laid open, like a butterfly. This allows for a shorter cook time with just as much moist tenderness for the chicken and even more for the vegetables that lie below! Here’s a quick video of how to cut the backbone (ignore the skewer part).

I love this dish for four reasons…

1) It’s cheaper to buy a whole bird

2) It’s a one pan, one chopping board, one knife meal (EASY CLEANUP)

3) The VEGETABLES below soak up the entire lemony garlicky chicken flavor

4) It tastes SO much better than any chicken I’ve prepared

The prep time for this chicken seems unfair to the chicken because you only spend 20 minutes prepping before she hits the oven for 45 minutes. Here’s a step by step of how to craft this deliciousness.

Step 1. Preheat oven to 425F and grease baking sheet liberally with your choice of oil.

Step 2. Roughly (aka lazily) chop cauliflower, onions, and carrots and toss into greased pan. Cut lemons in half and set aside.

Step 3. While your board is uncontaminated, chop your garlic and combine with softened butter, majestic garlic dip  (it’s truly majestic), and some S&P to taste in a small bowl and set aside.

Here comes the messy part…Step 4. Take your beautiful chicken, rinse and dry her. Now it’s time to spatchcock your chicken by cutting alongside both sides of the backbone and removing. You should then be able to open the chicken up like a book. Flip her skin side up and lay her on her delicious bed of veggies.

Step 5. Now it’s time to make her tasty by separating her skin from the muscle and spread that butter/garlic mixture in between and on top of her skin. Squeeze the lemons allllll over the chicken. I left one half of the squeezed lemon between the chicken and veggies. Add sprigs of rosemary if you have some. She should look something like this…

Step 6.  Stick her in the oven to roast for 45 minutes, her thighs reach 170F and her breasts reach 150F. And if you don’t own a meat thermometer, you should go buy one, like now. Meat has never tasted so good….

Ingredients:

1 head Cauliflower

3 large carrots

1 large onion

1 Organic, free-range, vegetarian fed Chicken (the meat tastes better!)

3-4 Tablespoons room temperature butter/ghee

3-4 Tablespoons of original Majestic Garlic Dip (Whole Foods)

You can substitute w/6 -8 cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 Lemons

1 – 2 Sprigs of rosemary (optional)

S & P to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 425F. Chop the cauliflower into medium or large florets, carrots into big oblong chunks (i.e. faux tourné), and onions into big chunks. Place on cookie sheet. Cut the lemons in half and set aside. Place chicken on cutting board. Remove giblets from inside the chicken. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove. Flip the chicken skin side up, spread open like a book, and place on top of vegetables on cookie sheet. Salt & pepper the chicken, both sides. Lift the skin from the chicken and spread butter/ghee in between that space. Repeat the spreading with Majestic Garlic Dip or the 6-8 cloves of chopped garlic. Then take the lemons and squeeze as much juice into that same space and around the chicken. Place the juiced lemon rinds under the chicken. Place cookie sheet in oven for 40 mins or until the breast meat reached 150F and the thighs reach 170F.