“Scarborough Fair” Spatchcock Roast Chicken
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| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 24 hours, 15 minutes |
| Cook time | 1 hour |
| Total time | 25 hours, 15 minutes |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Thanksgiving |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
A fabulous way to serve roast chicken, especially mid-week when time is at a premium, this spatchcock chicken is so called as it is marinated with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, from the song "Scarborough Fair". The chicken is marinated overnight, and the chicken can be cooked in a conventional oven or on the BBQ.
Ingredients
- 1 x high welfare chicken (about 1.5 kg to 1.75jg)
- sprigs of fresh herbs - parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or herb infused olive oil)
- sea salt
Note
A fabulous way to serve roast chicken, especially mid-week when time is at a premium, this spatchcock chicken is so called as it is marinated with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, from the song "Scarborough Fair". The chicken is marinated overnight, and the chicken can be cooked in a conventional oven or on the BBQ. NB: I cooked mine in an AEG Multifunction oven with SteamBake, so as well as roasting the chicken had bursts of steam to keep it moist.
Directions
| Step 1 | First, spatchcock the chicken - turn the chicken over so the backbone is facing you and with a pair of kitchen shears (or scissors) cut down each side of the back bone, and then discard it. Turn the chicken over, and with the palm of your hand, push down firmly to flatten the chicken. |
| Step 2 | Place the spatchcocked chicken into a large zip-lock bag, then tuck in the herbs and lemon quarters and add the olive oil. Seal the bag, and squish the chicken around to coat it with the oil and to squeeze the lemons. Put the sealed bag in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours to marinate. |
| Step 3 | When you ready to cook the chicken, take it out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature for at least an hour. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. NB: I roasted mine in an AEG Steam oven, using the steam bake function, which I activated to keep the chicken moist as well as browning it. |
| Step 4 | Place the spatchcock chicken with all the herbs and the lemon pieces into an oven-proof dish and sprinkle with sea salt; add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and roast in the pre-heated oven for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken is cooked with a crispy skin. |
| Step 5 | Place the chicken onto a serving platter and allow people to help themselves, it's fabulous when served with roasted vegetables, potatoes and crusty bread. |
