Cast Iron Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
by Katie Webster
March 13, 2023 Jump To Recipe
Here is a favorite Sunday Supper recipe for Spatchcocked Chicken with a simple tarragon pan sauce. Serve it with mashed potatoes for a comforting classic homestyle dinner the whole family will enjoy.
This post contains affiliate links. I originally shared this recipe on April 22, 2014. I have updated some of the content to share it with you again today.
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Cast Iron Spatchcock Chicken
If you are craving the comforting simplicity of roast chicken then this recipe is for you! After perfecting my Roasted Turkey, I’ve wanted to share a simple roast chicken too, but have never done it, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity.
I was inspired to add some tarragon to the recipe because it is one of my favorite herbs. Make sure to try my Tarragon Vinaigrette if you are a fan too. The tarragon and a little butter melts into the sauce and is a wonderful flavor pairing with the juicy chicken. And that sauce is perfect over Mashed Potatoes. Add on a super simple side like Simple Skillet Green Beans or Garlic Butter Baby Carrots to complete the meal.
Ingredients For This Recipe
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon, divided
- 3 teaspoons chopped tarragon, divided
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1 4-pound chicken
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon salted butter, divided
- 1 shallot
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
How To Make This Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken Recipe
Step 1: Prepare. Preheat oven to 425 convection. You’ll need a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for this recipe.
Step 2: Make Herb Paste. Sprinkle salt over the garlic and mash on a cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife to form a coarse paste. Mix the chopped garlic and salt paste with lemon zest, 2 teaspoons tarragon and pepper in a small dish.
Step 3: Spatchcock the chicken. Cut the backbone out of your chicken using sharp kitchen shears. Open cavity of the chicken and score a vertical line along inside of breast bone, and bend chicken open further so that it lays flat
Step 4: Rub the chicken all over with the garlic and zest mixture. Lay chicken out flat, skin side up in a large heavy skillet or flameproof roasting pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet and let rest on a carving board while you prepare the sauce.
Step 5: Make Sauce. Pour off any fat from the skillet (if there is any) leaving juices behind. Place over medium-low heat (USE CAUTION HANDLE WILL BE HOT) Add 1 teaspoon butter to the skillet and allow to melt. Add shallot and cook, stirring until the shallot is browned, about 2 minutes. Add sherry and lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stirring up any browned bits from the skillet, over high heat. Simmer until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Stir broth and cornstarch in a measuring cup and add to skillet stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, stirring. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in any accumulated juices from the carving board, the remaining 1 teaspoon tarragon and the remaining 1 teaspoon butter until the butter is completely melted into the sauce.
Step 6: Serve: Remove chicken legs from the breast at the joint with a sharp knife. Remove chicken wings. Serve chicken with the tarragon sauce.
Serving Suggestions
- These Roasted Turnips are a lower carb alternative to mashed potatoes and go great with gravy.
- This recipe for Vegetable Mash is made with a blend of root veggies.
- Our simple sauteed swiss chard is a popular choice.
- In the spring, grilled asparagus or roasted asparagus are fast to prepare while the chicken rests and tastes yummy with roasted chicken. If you have an air fryer- make Air Fryer Asparagus to serve with the chicken.
- Our roasted parsnips are a wonderfully sweet and healthy side dish.
- This steamed cauliflower with herbs or this Broccoli and Garlic Mash are two healthy veggies to pair with it.
Leftovers: Storage and Reheating
Keep leftovers in a re-sealable container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Freeze up to 6 weeks.
Reheating Instructions
Microwave: This chicken is great leftover but the skin should be discarded because it loses its crispy texture. To reheat, place the chicken on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes per piece.
Oven: To reheat in the oven, place in a small oven-proof baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that it is hot in the center.
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
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Cast Iron Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This spatchcocked roasted chicken with a simple tarragon pan sauce is the perfect healthy Fall comfort food dinner. It’s gluten free, wheat free and low carb!!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon, divided
- 3 teaspoons chopped tarragon, divided
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1 4-pound chicken
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon salted butter, divided
- 1 shallot
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 convection.
- Sprinkle salt over the garlic and mash on a cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife to form a coarse paste. Mix““` garlic and salt paste with lemon zest, 2 teaspoons tarragon and pepper in a small dish.
- Cut backbone out of chicken using sharp kitchen shears. Open cavity of chicken and score a vertical line along inside of breast bone, and bend chicken open further so that it lays flat.
- Rub chicken all over with the garlic and zest mixture. Lay chicken out flat, skin side up in a large heavy skillet or flame proof roasting pan. Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet and let rest on a carving board while you prepare the sauce.
- Pour off any fat from the skillet leaving juices behind. Place over medium-low heat (USE CAUTION HANDLE WILL BE HOT) Add 1 teaspoon butter to the skillet and allow to melt. Add shallot and cook, stirring until the shallot is browned, about 2 minutes. Add sherry and lemon juice and bring to a simmer, stirring up any browned bits from the skillet, over high heat. Simmer until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Stir broth and cornstarch in a measuring cup and add to skillet stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, stirring. Cook, stirring , until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in any accumulated juices from the carving board, the remaining 1 teaspoon tarragon and the remaining 1 teaspoon butter until the butter is completely melted into the sauce.
- Remove chicken legs from the breast at the joint with a sharp knife. Remove chicken wings. Serve chicken with the tarragon sauce.
Notes
Reheating Instructions
This chicken is great leftover but the skin should be discarded because it loses its crispy texture. To reheat, place the chicken on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes per piece. To reheat in the oven, place in a small oven-proof baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees until heated through. Use an instant-read thermometer to check that it is hot in the center.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 1/2 ounces chicken each
- Calories: 378
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 1105 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 59 g
Keywords: spatchcocked chicken,spatchcoked chicken in a skillet
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
Dear Katie,
I love the way you write. Laying here, convalescing from spine surgery, you made me smile. I was able to get cast iron from my deceased mother. A few years back I made a complete Thanksgiving with it. As soon as I can lift again, I will be doing this recipe..thanks for brightening my day.
What a beautiful post! Loved reading about your memories of your grandma. And this spatchcock chicken is stunning!
I loved reading about your grandmother, Katie! Brings back so many memories of my grandmother. Thanks for sharing about her. Roasting chicken in an iron skillet is my absolute favorite method. I’ve never used tarragon with roast chicken but I’m loving the idea of it. Great post!
Thank you Bill. It was one of those posts that was hard to find the words, hard to write but ultimately I am glad I did put it into words. So glad you like the post, and yes cast iron rocks!
Love, LOVE your story. I think maybe you also inherited some of her badassness? 🙂 Love the recipe and would kill for those skillets!
I would like to think I have Anne 🙂 The skillets are so amazing. When I travel and have to cook without them I realize how spoiled I am by them. Thanks so much!
Your story about your grandmother is so poignant. And expressing your love for her through a recipe you think she’ll appreciate is just beautiful.
Thank you Joshua. I appreciate it!
Wow, I love your post about your ‘badass’ grandmother! I felt it was painful to write about my mother (who I lost one year ago.) Somedays I perfer to leave my feelings unexpressed. BTW love your recipe. I must try to spatchcock a chicken one of these days.
I am sure Diane. That must have been a challenge, I’ll definitely click over to see your post. Thank you for coming by and for the compliment.
I want to be a badass spatchcock-er!! Such gorgeous photos and the step by step how-to spatchcock is so helpful. Gramma Jane would be so proud!! Truly, the emotional connection shone through every word.
Ha ha! Go for it, that and cooking with a wok will turn your badass level up to eleven in my opinion! Lol. Thank you so much Robin for the compliment, and for coming by for a visit.
Katie, I love this post so so so much! The story, the way you are able to make me feel like I’m sitting down to coffee with you hearing you speak, and the way you are able to tell a story through words…it’s just amazing to me. Also, the chicken–love all the step by step photos and the finished product photos are gorgeous and it sounds incredible! Also, I love that we both chose cast iron skillets. 😉
I am really flattered Ari. Thank you so much. I wish we could sit and have coffee IRL!!! Or at least go for a run together!
Tons of gorgeous shots in this post! That chicken sounds amazing
Thanks so much Kita. I am so glad you stopped by to check it out.
This is a great post, Katie, and I’m sure your grandma would love that you’re using the hell out of her skillets. Clearly she didn’t give *those* away for a reason! (And, of course, I love the word “spatchcock” — it’s just too awesome.)
Yes she kept the essentials until the end and given the fact that I use these twice a day, now I see just how essential they are. Gotta love the word spatchcocked.
Seems many of us have inherited cast iron and will forever cherish it. I hope those we pass these along to have fabulous (badass) stories to share about us.
BTW, cancer sucks!
Wendy Jo. Thank you so much for your comments. Treasured is the perfect word for it, isn’t it?
this is one of the most beautiful chicken recipes I think I’ve EVER looked at, I am beyond impressed Katie!
andd I’m hungry… very, very hungry lol
Thank you so much Christine. You are too kind.
Loved reading about your badass Grandma 🙂 Aren’t grandmas the best?! Yummy chicken dish too, and even though I only got my cast iron pan a few years ago (a gift from my best friend) I think this recipe,would be delicious in it! Love how Grandmas and butter just seem to go together 🙂
Thank you EA. What a good friend to get you a cast iron skillet for a gift. I am sure you love it. Yes her recipes, while they all sound so yummy, certainly have plenty of cream, mayo and butter.
Your grandmother sounds like an amazing woman, so I think you definitely did her justice with this chicken and this post!! It’s a beauty!!
Thank you Joanne. It is hard to put the feeling I have for her into something as concrete as a photo or recipe. I am glad you approve.
Loved reading about your grandmother and all the things she passed on to you, especially the handwritten recipes.
I love seeing her handwriting. It is so distinctively of another era. So glad you enjoyed my post Jeanette. I can’t wait to sit down with a cup of tea this evening and read the other posts in the Redux!