Also known as Mother’s Day Chicken

I named this dish Mother’s Day Chicken because I made this for Mother’s Day. It is, hands down, THE BEST roast chicken I have ever made. The butter keeps the chicken juicy and the drippings make an incredible gravy. I served it with roasted potatoes and broccoli but it would pair well with just about any side.

A couple things before I begin the recipe:

1, You will want a thermometor. 2, You will want to spatchcock the chicken.

A thermometor is something, I believe, that is an essential cooking tool. The reason I say this is because meat needs to be at a specific temp to be fully cooked otherwise you risk food borne illnesses. BUT, if you over cook meat it will become very dry. NO one likes dry chicken. A thermometor helps dial in when the food is done. Chicken is done at a temp of 165 degrees farenheight. I usually pull my bird out of the oven at 160 degrees and as the chicken rests, it will continue to rise to the 165 degrees. Cooking times can very greatly. With roast chicken, my experience has shown I need a longer time roasting than many recipes call for, it could be my oven, my altitude, or several other variables. So I go by my thermometer to tell me when my chicken is done. You will insert it into the thickest part of the breast but so it is NOT touching the bones.

Spatchcocking is the fancy term for cutting the chicken so it lays flat. This helps the chicken cook evenly and lets you sear the bird well. It also shortens the cooking time because you don’t have that pocket of air insulating the inside of the bird, or a solid mass that will also need to come up to temperature to not risk cross contamination. To spatchcock the chicken, cut down one side of the backbone of the chicken. You can either cut the other side of the backbone to cut it off and save it for making broth later or just leave it on. Turn the chicken over and pull the 2 sides apart. Press down on the middle of the breast until you hear the breastbone crack and the chicken lays flat. I then spread the butter mixture between the skin and the meat. This helps the lemon zest and herbs not to burn and the butter bastes the meat. I reach my hand from the bottom of the bird, where the thighs are and separate the skin and meat without taking the skin off. This creates a nice pocket for the seasoning spread.

Before you season, You will want to use some paper towels to dry off the chicken. If there is too much water based moisture, it will splatter a lot and you won’t get a good sear. To sear the chicken, put it into the pan, skin side down for 3-5 minutes. This will get a good golden crust on the bird. Don’t worry about sticking. When it is time to flip the bird, it will release from the pan. I use a big stainless steel pan but you can also do this is cast iron. If you use cast iron, I would put it in the cold oven and preheat the pan with the oven, then pull it out and sear the chicken on the stove. It helps bring the pan up to high heat evenly. Just remember the hot pads.

This meal was the perfect end to my Mother’s Day.

Recipe:

For the chicken:

1 whole roaster/broiler chicken

Zest of 2 lemons

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

4 TBSP butter, softened

3/4 to 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 fresh garlic clove, grated

1/8 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

For the gravy:

1 TBSP cornstarch or tapioca starch

2 TBSP water

Juice from the zested lemons

Drippings from the bird after it comes out of the oven

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spatchcock chicken.

Mash the seasonings for the chicken together and spread underneath the skin of the chicken. Spread a little bit over the skin as well. In a cast iron or stainless steel pan, big enough to accommodate the chicken, heat about 2-3 tablespoons avocado oil on medium high. Lay the chicken, breast side down in the pan. Let it sear and crisp for 3-5 minutes until the skin releases from the pan and it’s nice and browned.

Flip the chicken to the backside and let cook again for another 2-5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and cook until the breast reaches 165°F. (See notes above) This could take 40 minutes to an hour depening on your bird and your oven.

Transfer the bird to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes while you make the gravy.

Add the lemon juice to the pan of drippings. Mix 1 tbsp of tapioca or corn starch with the water to make a slurry. Warm the drippings in the pan on the stove until simmering. Increase heat and add the starch slurry and whisk vigorously until the drippings thicken to a gravy and the brown bits from the pan are incorporated.

Carve the chicken in pieces and serve. I suggest drizzling some of the gravy over the chicken.