Grilled spatchcock chicken is one of the fastest, easiest ways to cook a whole chicken. Flattening the bird—also called butterflying—helps it grill evenly, so you get juicy meat and crispy skin without needing a brine or marinade.
This recipe walks you through how to spatchcock a chicken with step-by-step photos, then grill it to perfection. Great for BBQ flavor, smoky seasoning, or your favorite rub.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐔 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 🧂 Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Spatchcock a Chicken
- 👨🍳Quick Overview: Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
- ⏰ How Long to Grill Spatchcock Chicken
- ✔️ Tips to Make It Right Every Time
- 👨🍳 How to Roast Spatchcock Chicken in the Oven
- 🧂 Seasoning Options
- 🐓 Other Skin-On Grilled Chicken Recipes
- 🛒Products I Recommend
- 🍴 Serving Suggestions
- ❄️ Leftovers & Storage
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
🐔 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Faster than roasting – Spatchcocking lets you grill a whole chicken in under an hour.
- Juicy and evenly cooked – No overdone breast or undercooked thighs.
- Beginner-friendly method – Step-by-step photos walk you through the prep and grill.
- Flexible flavor options – BBQ, blackened, or even smoked with wood chips.
- Skin stays crispy – Minimal time over direct heat helps prevent burning.
🧂 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Whole chicken – About 4 pounds is a good size for even grilling.
- Oil – Helps the skin crisp and holds the seasoning.
- Seasoning or dry rub – Use your favorite BBQ rub or just salt and pepper.
- Optional dry rub – Kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and a pinch of cayenne.
- Optional BBQ sauce – Brush on near the end for classic barbecue flavor.
- Optional: wood chips for smoking – Add dry wood chips to a smoker box or foil pouch if your grill allows.
👨🍳How to Spatchcock a Chicken
Spatchcocking, also known as butterflying, flattens the chicken so it cooks faster and more evenly on the grill.
1. Dry the chicken and remove the backbone
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels to make it easier to handle. Place it breast-side down and use sharp kitchen shears (or a heavy knife) to cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove the backbone and discard or save for stock.
2. Nick the breastbone
Flip the chicken breast-side up. Use a knife to make a small notch in the top of the breastbone—this helps it lay flat when pressed.
3. Flatten the chicken
Pull the sides of the chicken outward slightly. Place your palm firmly over the breastbone and press down until you hear a crack and the chicken lies flat.
👨🍳Quick Overview: Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
1. Flatten and season the chicken
Spatchcock the chicken, brush with oil, and season. Let it rest at room temperature while setting up the grill.
2. Set up the grill
Preheat the grill to a surface temperature of 350°–400°F. Clean and oil the grates. (Indirect grilling option in the FAQs.)
Optional: Add dry wood chips to a smoker box or foil pouch and place on the grates now. Use one round of chips—start smoking when the chicken goes on.
3. Grill the chicken
Grill with the lid closed. Start skin-side up for 10 minutes. Flip to skin-side down and cook for 8–10 minutes, getting nice color but not over-browning the skin.
Flip back to skin-side up and continue cooking until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F—usually 20 to 30 minutes more, for a total of about 40 to 50 minutes.
4. Add BBQ sauce (optional)
If using BBQ sauce, brush it on during the last few minutes—just before the chicken reaches 165°F.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and full step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for pro tips, veggie options, and serving ideas.
⏰ How Long to Grill Spatchcock Chicken
At a grill surface temperature of 350°–400°F, a spatchcocked chicken will take about 40 to 50 minutes to cook through. Smaller birds may finish faster; larger or uneven ones may take a little longer.
⏱️ Use the time as a rough guide—but always cook to final internal temperature, not the clock.
👉 Per USDA guidelines, chicken is safe to eat when the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F. That’s usually in the center of the breast, not near the edges. Always check with an instant-read thermometer.
✅ Pro Tip: Thighs often reach 180°F or more—and that’s a good thing. They sit closer to the heat and taste even better at higher temps. Juicier, more tender, and no risk of drying out.
✔️ Tips to Make It Right Every Time
- Use sharp kitchen shears to remove the backbone—cut about ½ inch from the spine through the softer cartilage. A heavy knife can work, but shears are safer and easier.
- Cut safely. Clean your hands and cutting area well before and after. Use a bleach-based spray to sanitize everything the raw chicken touches.
- Check grill surface temperature, not the lid thermometer. You want 350°–400°F at the grate level—use a grill surface thermometer for accuracy.
- Charcoal grill? Watch your setup. It’s harder to hit the right surface temp without over-browning the skin. If your grill is large enough, indirect grilling may be a better option—see the FAQs for how to set that up.
- Olive oil or melted butter are fine here. The grill temp is low enough that either one works well without burning—and both help the skin crisp up and hold seasoning.
- Watch the skin. Flip based on color—not just time. If it’s darkening fast, flip early.
👉 Need help dialing in grill temp? See A Beginner’s Guide to Grill Temperature.
👨🍳 How to Roast Spatchcock Chicken in the Oven
Roasting a spatchcocked chicken in the oven is just as easy—and a great option when grilling isn’t in the cards.
Place the flattened, seasoned chicken on a rimmed sheet pan and bake in a 425°F oven until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F—usually about 40 to 50 minutes.
You can follow the same prep as the grilled version—just skip the flipping.
👉 Sheet-pan dinner tip: The cook time is perfect for adding halved baby potatoes, carrots, or other firm vegetables to the pan. Toss them with a little oil and seasoning and roast alongside the chicken.
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🧂 Seasoning Options
You’ve got lots of ways to season a spatchcocked (butterflied) chicken—BBQ, blackened, herbed, or simple and classic.
- Keep it simple: Melted butter or oil with salt and pepper works, but it’s a little plain. Try my All-Purpose Seasoning for a boost of garlic and flavor.
- Skip fresh herbs on the grill: Rosemary and thyme sound fancy, but they’ll burn fast. If you want herb flavor, mix them into a rub or add them after cooking.
- For BBQ flavor: Use the rub in the recipe card or try one of my favorites—Memphis Dry Rub, BBQ Dry Rub, Black Magic Seasoning, or my Chipotle Seasoning. Finish with BBQ sauce like Memphis BBQ Sauce, Alabama White Sauce, or your favorite barbecue sauce.
- For blackened chicken: Use Blackening Seasoning and skip the sauce—let the crust do the talking.
- Or grab a store-bought rub: Commercial blends work fine too—just watch the salt if your chicken’s already brined.
🐓 Other Skin-On Grilled Chicken Recipes
If you’re into grilling chicken with the skin on (and you should be), here are a couple more favorites worth trying:
- Grilled Chicken Drumsticks – Juicy, flavorful, and nearly impossible to mess up.
- Grilled Chicken Thighs – Bold flavor, crispy skin, and a little extra richness.
- Grilled Split Chicken Breasts — Crispy skin, tender meat, and an optional BBQ finish.
👇 Want to keep the bird whole next time? Check out the full recipe below.
Grilled Whole Chicken
Learning to grill a whole chicken without spatchcocking(butterflied or flattened) is easier than you think. This recipe starts with an easy prep, and then you cook the intact, full chicken with indirect heat on your backyard grill.
🛒Products I Recommend
These are examples of what I use or recommend. There are many other great options.
Note: All links below are affiliate links, meaning I make a small profit from your purchases. Your price is not affected by this commission. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Smoke™ by Thermoworks™
Thermapen™ One from Thermoworks™
CDN Grill Surface Thermometer
Thermopop™ by Thermoworks™
🍴 Serving Suggestions
Round it out with some easy sides for a complete meal:
- Potatoes on the Grill – Try grilled baby potatoes, grilled French fries, or my no-foil grilled potatoes.
- Cold picnic sides – Macaroni Salad, Caprese Paste Salad, Fresh Spinach Salad, or a green garden salad.
- Hot veggies – Grilled Corn on the Cob, Grilled Carrots, or Grilled Mix Vegetables are all great matches.
You’ve already got the grill going—use it!
❄️ Leftovers & Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Want to use them up fast? Shred and toss into tacos, wraps, or a BBQ chicken salad.
❓FAQs
Yes—indirect grilling works great, especially on larger grills. Set up an indirect zone at 350°–400°F. Cook the chicken on the indirect side until it hits 150°–155°F, then move it over direct heat, skin-side down, to brown the skin. Finish cooking to 165°F internal temp. You may need to flip it back skin-side up to reach the final temperature evenly.
According to USDA guidelines, all chicken should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F in the thickest part of the meat. Use an instant-read thermometer—don’t rely on appearance or guesswork.
Is it safe to rinse raw chicken?
No—rinsing chicken is no longer recommended. It can spread harmful bacteria around your sink and counter through water splatter. See To Rinse or Not to Rinse for more details.
Yes, you can add smoke flavor while grilling. Use a smoker box or foil pouch with dry wood chips and place it on the grill when the chicken goes on. One round of chips adds great flavor without overpowering the meat. For more tips, wood chip options, and troubleshooting, see my full post How To Set Up Your Gas Grill for Smoking.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Grilled Spatchcock Chicken (Juicy & Easy Every Time)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
- Seasoning of choice
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional
Step-by-Step Instructions
Flatten and season the chicken
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Using sharp kitchen scissors (or a heavy knife), cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it.
- Nick the breastbone to help the chicken flatten, then flip it over and press down firmly until it lays flat.
- Brush all sides with oil and season well. Use your favorite seasonings or the rub provided.
Set up the grill
- Preheat the grill to a surface temperature of 350°–400°F. Clean and oil the grates. (Indirect grilling option in the FAQs.)
- Optional: Add dry wood chips to a smoker box or foil pouch and place on the grates now. One round is enough.
Grill the chicken
- Place the chicken skin-side up. Grill with the lid closed for 10 minutes.Flip to skin-side down and grill for 8–10 minutes to develop color—watch to avoid over-browning.
- Flip back to skin-side up and continue cooking until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F—usually 20 to 30 minutes more.
Add BBQ sauce (optional)
- If using BBQ sauce, brush it on during the last few minutes—just before the chicken hits 165°F.
Rest and serve
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- As always, cook to final temperature and results—not by time alone. Times are just estimates.
- I’m suggesting a 3–4 pound whole chicken to decrease variability. In addition to the chicken being a variable, the grill's exact temperature, the flow of air, and the radiant heat affect cooking time.
- As always, we are cooking to final results and NEVER BY TIME ALONE. I give times so you have some estimates of how long something will take, but in this recipe, you should cook to the final temperatures and the skin results.
- I suggest BBQ sauce or the alternative spice rub, but you can season this any way you want. Seasoning is discussed in the post.
- Preheat the grill to a grill surface temperature of 350°-400°. If you need help, please check A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
- If the breasts or thighs are lagging behind the other, turn off one side and rotate to chicken to help the side behind. Also, watch the browning on all sides to prevent burning.
- Indirect grilling, oven roasting, and other seasoning are discussed in the post.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published June 23, 2013. Updated with refreshed photo along with updated options, discussion, and instructions to reflect current technique.
Mike Y. says
This is my third time using your recipe and my wife and I love it. Thanks!
Chris says
That is one nice looking bird you've cooked there! Great color.
Dan Mikesell says
It tasted great but the pictures had issues. My DSLR was in for repair and I only had a compact so only a few "OK" photos.