Grilled spatchcock chicken is juicy, delicious, and easy to make with my step-by-step photo instructions. Spatchcock chicken, also known as flattened or butterflied chicken, is a simple way to cook a whole chicken evenly. Great for backyard BBQ chicken.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken—whole, about 4 pounds
Seasoning—a rub or seasoning of choice.
Optional BBQ Rub—kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐓Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Spatchcock a Chicken
- 👨🍳How to Cook Spatchcock Chicken on the Grill—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- ⏰How long to grill spatchcock chicken
- ✔️Tips to make it right every time
- 👨🍳How to roast spatchcock chicken in the oven
- 🧂Seasoning Options
- 🐓Skin-on chicken recipes
- ♨️How to set up the grill
- 🛒Products I Recommend
- 🍴Serving
- ❄️Leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Spatchcocking is a centuries-old technique for cooking poultry, such as chicken, turkey, or other poultry, to simplify cooking. By removing the spine and flattening (butterflying) the chicken, the thickness evens out for better, more consistent results. While the technique is easy, many home cooks find it intimidating.
This recipe for BBQ butterflied chicken on the grill uses low direct heat and minimal time with the skin facing the heat. You can also use indirect grilling; the instructions are in the FAQs section of this post or oven-roasted spatchcock chicken.
I like to barbecue my flattened chicken using the suggested BBQ rub and sauce, but you can blacken it with blacking seasoning, maybe add some wood smoke for smoked spatchcock chicken. Or use any seasoning you choose.
👨🍳How to Spatchcock a Chicken
1. Dry the chicken. Cut the backbone out with kitchen shears (recommended) or a sharp knife.
2. With a large knife, nick the breastbone in the front of the chicken to help it lay flat.
3. Flip with the chicken breast side up, pull out on the sides at the bottom, put yfour palm over the breast bone, and press down hard, which will flatten.
👨🍳How to Cook Spatchcock Chicken on the Grill—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Preheat the grill to a grill surface temperature of 350°-400°—clean and oil grill grates.
2. Brush with oil and season all sides. Place the skin side up on the grill and close the lid. If you wish, add wood smoke.
3. After 10 minutes, flip to the skin side down and cook for 8-10 minutes, carefully watching the color to avoid over-browning the skin. Flip back to the skin side up and cook until 165° in the thickest part of the breast—about 20 to 30 minutes more.
4. If doing BBQ, brush with BBQ sauce a few minutes before the temperature is 165°.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰How long to grill spatchcock chicken
The total cooking time will be 40 to 50 minutes, but it will vary by the grill temperature and thickness of the chicken. Grill until 165° in the thickest parts of the chicken using an instant-read thermometer.
✔️Tips to make it right every time
Using sharp, heavy kitchen shears works best for removing the backbone. Cut through the thinnest cartilage areas of the back, about ½ inch from the spine.
If using a knife, a sharp, heavy chef knife works well. For leverage, you may want to cut from the inside out with the breast down against the cutting board.
For safety, clean your hands well before handling the chicken and after. Clean the workspace well after cutting the chicken with a bleach-containing spray.
The grilling temperature is low enough to use extra-virgin olive oil on the chicken.
Watch the skin color closely to determine the flipping time.
👨🍳How to roast spatchcock chicken in the oven
To roast spatchcock chicken in the oven, follow the grill instructions, but place it on a rimmed sheet pan and bake it in a 425° oven to 165° in the thickest part of the breast—about 40-50 minutes.
The cooking time is suitable for small potatoes and carrots. Add them to the pan for an easy one-pan dinner.
🧂Seasoning Options
The chicken can be seasoned any way you want. Melted butter with salt and black pepper will do, but it is boring. I use my All-Purpose Seasoning, which adds garlic. You can add other flavors with fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme.
For traditional BBQ flattened chicken, use the simple rub I suggested, or try Memphis Dry Rub, BBQ Dry Rub, Black Magic Seasoning, or my Chipotle Seasoning Recipe. Then finish with Memphis BBQ Sauce, Alabama White Sauce, or your favorite barbecue sauce.
For Blackened flattened chicken, use Blackening Seasoning and no sauce.
Commercial seasoning mixes that are commonly available will also work.
🐓Skin-on chicken recipes
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.
Some of my most popular grilled chicken recipes are grilled drumsticks and grilling chicken thighs. For oven-based recipes, try oven baked chicken drumsticks or, my favorite, crispy oven baked chicken thighs.
For other skin-on chicken recipes, see Baked Split Chicken Breasts, Grilled BBQ Split Chicken Breasts, Baked BBQ Split Chicken Breasts, or Grilled Split Chicken Breasts.
♨️How to set up the grill
Get to 350°-400° grill surface temperature, which is medium or slightly less on most grills. DO NOT TRUST the built-in thermometer on the lid. You must use a grill surface thermometer.
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The charcoal grill setup is a little harder to get the right surface temperature to not burn the chicken while still getting the chicken cooked to the minimum temperature.
For help on grill surface temperature, please see my detailed post about controlling Grill Temperature.
🛒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
Serve with a potato option like Potatoes on the Grill without Foil, Grilled Baby Potatoes, or Grilled French Fries.
Picnic-type options include Macaroni Salad, Caprese Paste Salad, Fresh Spinach Salad, or a green garden salad. For a hot vegetable, try Grilled Corn on the Cob, Grilled Carrots, or Grilled Mix Vegetables.
❄️Leftovers
Like most cooked chicken, seal leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 3 months.
❓FAQs
Yes, indirect grilling works great. Set up the indirect area at 350° to 400°. Cook on the indirect side to 150° to 155°. Flip the chicken to the direct heat side with the skin side down. Grill until the skin is nicely brown and the chicken is 165°. You may need to flip it back to the skin up to get to the final temperature.
For safety, chicken, or any poultry, should reach an internal temperature of 165° per the USDA.
We no longer recommend rinsing raw chicken. The slatter of water in the kitchen area increases the risk of foodborne illnesses. See To Rinse or Not to Rinse for a complete discussion.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
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
- Preheat the grill to a grill surface temperature of 350°-400°. Clean and oil well.
- Pat dry the chicken. Cut the backbone out of the chicken with sharp kitchen scissors. You could use a knife, but the scissors are much safer and work great.
- With a large knife, nick the breastbone in the front of the chicken to help it lay flat. Flip over and push down to flatten.
- Give all sides of the chicken a brush of oil and seasoning of your choice. The spice rub in the recipe card is a great choice instead of just the salt and pepper.
- Start with the skin side up for 10 minutes. Then flip to skin side down for 8-10 minutes. Watch the color, and don't over-brown the skin. Flip back to the skin side up and cook until 165° in the thickest part of the breast. Total cooking time about 40-50 minutes
- If doing BBQ, give the chicken a good brushing of the BBQ sauce you choose a few minutes before the temperature is 165°.
- Let sit for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Remember, times are estimates. Please cook to a final temperature and NEVER by time only.
- I’m suggesting a 4-5 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, smoking, 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.