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Butterflied Lemon Chicken Roast in Cast Iron Pan

Butterflied Roast Chicken

Whether it is for a family dinner or a small holiday gathering, this Butterflied Roast Chicken is marinated with lemon and rosemary flavours and roasted to juicy perfection.

Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword Butterflied Roast Chicken
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Regina | Leelalicious

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken 3-4.5 pounds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 lemons 1 juiced, 1 sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 3-5 fresh rosemary sprigs 1 minced, 2-4 whole
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Flip the bird breast side down. Using kitchen or poultry shears, cut alongside the backbone about 1 inch from the center. Then make the same cut along the other side and remove the backbone (save and freeze for homemade chicken stock in the slow cooker or Instant Pot).

  2. Make a small cut at the beginning of the breast bone. This will make the bird lay flat. Cut away any extra skin or fatty parts and pat dry the inside as well. Transfer butterflied chicken breast side up to a casserole or simmer dish.
  3. To make the marinade, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and minced rosemary.
  4. Season the entire top side of the the chicken with salt and pepper. Then spoon about half of the marinade over the bird. Rub the seasoning and marinade all over with your hands to make sure every part of the skin is covered.
  5. Flip the butterflied chicken over and repeat with more salt, pepper, and the rest of the marinade.
  6. Let the chicken marinate for at least half an hour (at room temperature) or overnight (in the fridge).
  7. When you are ready to roast the spatchcock chicken, preheat the oven and a large cast iron pan to 500°F. Put the preheated pan on a cutting board and place the chicken breast side down inside of it.
  8. Arrange the lemon slices and rosemary sprigs on top and around the chicken.
  9. Turn the oven heat down to 450°F and bake the chicken for 30 minutes.
  10. Then flip the chicken around and roast about 15 minutes more until the internal temperature at breast reaches 160°F and 175°F at the thigh.
  11. Let the chicken rest over with a pan or aluminum foil for 15 minutes before carving.
  12. To carve, make a cut where the wing attached to the breast. Then separate the leg, and divide the leg into thigh and drumstick pieces. Separate the 2 breast pieces and cut away the ribs from behind. Then slice the breast into even strips.

Recipe Video