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roasted butterfly chicken in baking pan.
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5 from 3 votes

Butterfly Chicken Recipe

How to butterfly a whole chicken and roast with aromatic herbs for succulent, moist meat and crispy skin.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Australian, British, New Zealand
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 710kcal
Author: Libby Hakim

Equipment

  • 1 baking dish
  • 1 poultry shears or kitchen scissors

Ingredients

  • 1.9 kg whole chicken
  • 100 grams butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium lemon
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon mixed herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil, oregano, sage)
  • salt & pepper (additional, to taste)

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees celsius / 430 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced) and spray baking dish with oil.
  • Remove chicken and butter from fridge and allow to stand for 15 minutes before starting the recipe.

How to Butterfly Chicken

  • Start by patting the chicken dry with a paper towel.
  • Place the chicken on a clean cutting board, breast side down.
  • Locate the backbone of the chicken, running along the centre of the back.
  • Using a pair of poultry shears or kitchen scissors and starting at the tail end, make a cut along one side of the backbone.
  • Repeat the cut on the other side of the backbone, allowing you to completely remove the backbone from the chicken.
  • Flip the chicken over so that it is now breast-side up. Use the palm of your hand to firmly press down on the breastbone to flatten the chicken. Keep applying gentle pressure until you hear a slight crack or feel the breastbone give way.
  • Tuck the wingtips behind the back for a neater appearance and to ensure more even cooking.

Preparing Butterflied Chicken for Roasting

  • Squeeze juice from lemon. Retain skins and cut into quarters.
  • Mix salt, paprika, parsley and mixed herbs into softened butter. (If butter isn't soft enough, place in microwave for 10 or 20 seconds.)
  • Place chicken in dish, breast side down, and pour half of the lemon juice over the chicken plus smear ¼ of the butter over this side of the chicken.
  • Turn chicken over so it is breast side up. Slide quartered lemon skins and garlic clove under the chicken while ensuring the chicken remains flat in the dish.
  • Pour remaining lemon juice over the chicken.
  • Using your fingers and a dessert spoon, gently ease the skin away from the meat. Take care not to tear the skin. Gently spoon remaining butter mixture under the skin. Using your fingers, massage the skin so that the butter is distributed as evenly as possible under the skin of the chicken.
  • Pour oil over the chicken and season with additional salt and pepper. Rub into the skin using your fingertips.
  • Place chicken into oven. After 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees celsius / 355 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced). Continue cooking for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until skin is a golden-brown colour all over and juices run clear.
  • Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

How can I tell if butterflied chicken is cooked?
Each oven and chicken is different, so the best way to gauge whether your chicken is cooked is to use the cooking time as a guide and rely on one or a combination of these methods
  • Check the colour: it should be a deep golden-brown colour on the outside.
  • Observe the juices: pierce the thickest part of the chicken with a fork or knife – if the juices run clear rather than pink the chicken is likely done.
  • Look at the texture and joints: once cooked, leg joints move easily and the meat should be tender.
  • Test the internal temperature: insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken, such as the thigh, without touching the bone – it it has reached above 75 degrees celsius it is safe consumption.
Cooking times by weight:
A 1.9kg butterfly chicken takes about 1 hour and 25 minutes to cook.
Add 20 minutes to ½ an hour for every extra 500 grams.
Reduce by 20 minutes to ½ an hour for every 500 grams less.
Safe food handling:
Follow safe food handling practices, including by:
  • separating raw chicken from other foods to prevent any bacteria from transferring to these foods
  • using separate cutting boards and utensils for raw chicken to avoid cross-contamination and washing them thoroughly with hot, soapy water after each use
  • washing your hands with warm water and soap before and after handling raw chicken
  • cleaning and sanitising all surfaces, utensils, and countertops that come into contact with raw chicken to eliminate any potential bacteria.
Nutrition:
The nutrition information is an automatically generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.

Nutrition

Calories: 710kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 225mg | Sodium: 612mg | Potassium: 479mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 963IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg