Schmaltzy Roast Spatchcock Chicken
This easy-to-make Schmaltzy Roast Spatchcock Chicken dish offers you all the trimmings. Featuring tender chicken and decadently layered potatoes smothered in broth, melted butter, and sour cream – along with delectable herbs – it’s an absolute feast!
This recipe probably isn’t the kind of meal you’d typically serve up on an average weekday Monday evening – although you could!
One of the hallmarks of celebratory food is a wealth of richness and flavour. And, in this sumptuous dish, you’re getting exactly that, in abundance.
For Easter, or any special occasion, it also pairs really well with these mouth-watering Roasted Carrots with Sticky Tahini Yoghurt.
Truly Schmaltzy Roast Spatchcock Chicken
Although this recipe doesn’t actually feature traditional Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), it loses nothing in translation. If ‘schmaltzy’ is a synonym for over-the-top indulgence and outrageously tasty, finger-licking flavour, this feast ticks all the boxes. With many other recipes, the goal is to preserve the unique individuality of each food element for contrast – but not here. Instead, we’re allowing the best characteristics of the chicken, potatoes, and sauces to mingle together. The result? An impossibly delicious symphony of rich, irresistible flavours.
Best of Both
A well-made potato bake is a treat on its own. So is roast chicken, no matter how you prefer it. But put them together, and they cooperate rather than compete. Here, we’re cooking and roasting each in turn – and then together, so they can each absorb the very best flavours and textures. Amazingly, this doesn’t cause any confusion, because some foods, like complementary colours, just pair incredibly well.
Balance the Flavours of Schmaltzy Spatchcock Chicken
At first glance, this dish can seem impossibly rich and fatty – but it’s actually very cleverly proportioned. Using chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of actual rendered fat means you’re getting a more nutritious alternative while retaining fantastic flavour. It also juxtaposes the richness of the roast chicken and the potato bake with agreeable sharp notes brought about as a result of introducing the chives, garlic, and sour cream.
Together, these produce an almost smoky blend of flavours within the creamy sauce that so wonderfully envelops the potato bake and the basted chicken.
Food That Brings People Together
Nothing creates special memories like great cooking. And whether you’re celebrating Easter or simply treating family and friends to a special occasion, this is one of those recipes. It’s a dish that encourages exuberance, is very obviously festive, and deeply satisfying. It also – dare we say it – makes second helpings almost obligatory.
The true wonder of this recipe, though, is this: there are no wildly exotic ingredients. And yet, the way it’s prepared results in a distinctive taste that is likely to become a seasonal must-have.
Watch the spatchcock chicken recipe video .
Tell It Like It Is
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And you can check out the recipe video too!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best potatoes to use for this recipe?
For a potato bake like this, use Russet or Idaho potatoes (or equivalent) if you can. These potatoes are relatively low in moisture and high in starch – so they typically bake up fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.
And, because we’re baking them in our Schmaltz-inspired cook-in stock, they’ll absorb those juices and fats for an absolutely incredible flavour.
What is wild garlic?
Wild garlic isn’t technically ‘garlic’, but actually a member of the Amaryllis family of wild plants. It has a bulb similar to garlic, but with a taste that is somewhat less sharp. It’s also a very popular ‘forage food’ that carries surprising health benefits – and is often used in traditional medicines to treat high cholesterol and rheumatism.
Can I substitute a whole chicken with chicken portions?
If you prefer a particular cut (like prepacked drums, thighs, or breasts), then you can*. Bear in mind that it can be a little more finicky and challenging to baste smaller individual chicken portions. Also, you’ll need pieces with decent skin coverage to hold the basting butter while cooking.
Should I wash the chicken before cooking?
In a word: no. Washing raw poultry can cause the accidental spread of microscopic particles onto adjacent surfaces or nearby foods and cause contamination.
Rest assured, the heat of your oven will ensure that any naturally occurring bacteria are destroyed through cooking. If you absolutely have to remove excess blood or other unwanted specks from uncooked chicken, simply use a paper kitchen towel to dab or wipe it away.
Needless to say, ensure the towel or napkin is properly disposed of – and thoroughly wash your hands after handling raw poultry.
Schmaltzy Roast Spatchcock Chicken
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy-to-make Schmaltzy Roast Spatchcock Chicken dish offers you all the trimmings. Featuring tender chicken and decadently layered potatoes smothered in broth, melted butter, and cream – along with delectable herbs – it’s an absolute feast!
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken (Spatchcock)
- 2kg Potatoes
- 1 Onion
- salt and pepper as needed
Herby Butter
- 80g Butter
- 15g Chives, thinly sliced (only use half of the chives for this butter mix)
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 10g Wild Garlic*
*Optional (if you can’t source wild garlic, simply add more chives to substitute)
Schmaltz-Inspired Stock
- 350ml Chicken or Veg Stock
- 1 Clove grated garlic
- 70g Sour Cream
Instructions
A note before you begin:
If you have time, spatchcock and season your chicken with salt and pepper the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight (there is no need to season again before roasting in this case). This not only seasons the chicken all the way to the bone but also dries out the skin, helping it crisp up beautifully in the oven. If you don’t have time, no worries—just follow the seasoning steps when you prep the chicken before cooking.
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Heat your oven to 190°C fan.
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Make the herby butter by combining 80g butter, half the 15g chives, 2 cloves garlic, and 10g wild garlic (if using) in a food processor. Blitz until smooth, bright green, and well combined. Season generously with ground sea salt and pepper to taste.
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Spatchcock your chicken (or ask your butcher to do this) by removing the backbone with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife. If you haven’t seasoned it yet, season all over with ground sea salt and pepper, inside and out.
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Prep your potatoes: peel (if you like) and slice into 1mm-thick medallions using a knife or mandolin. Thinly slice the onion.
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Butter the inside of a large shallow casserole dish or roasting tin with a little of the herby butter. Begin layering the potatoes: place two overlapping layers of potatoes to cover the base, scatter over some sliced onion and a generous pinch of the reserved chives, lightly season each layer with salt and pepper, then repeat—layering potatoes, onions, chives, and a light seasoning—until everything is used up. Finish with a final neat layer of potatoes.
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In a jug, mix together 350ml of stock, 70g sour cream, and 1 grated garlic clove until smooth. Pour over the potatoes.
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Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the stock is hot and the potatoes are beginning to soften.
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While the potatoes bake, gently lift the skin of the chicken and press the herby butter underneath, distributing it around the thighs, legs, breast, and neck area.
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Remove the potatoes from the oven, uncover, and place the spatchcock chicken, breast side up, directly on top of the potatoes.
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Return to the oven and roast uncovered for 50–55 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through (the internal temp around the thickest part of the leg should reach 65°C).
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Transfer the chicken to a board and let it rest for 15 minutes somewhere warm.
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Increase the oven temperature to 200°C fan and return the potatoes to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes, until crisp and golden on top.
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Carve the chicken, pour any resting juices back over the crispy potatoes, and serve.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 90 min
- Category: Mains
- Method: Bake
Nutrition
- Calories: 711.37kcal
- Sugar: 4.31g
- Sodium: 223.68mg
- Fat: 39.05g
- Saturated Fat: 15.55g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.74g
- Trans Fat: 0.09g
- Carbohydrates: 52.02g
- Fiber: 6.06g
- Protein: 38.65g
- Cholesterol: 163.11mg
4 Responses
I have been doing a spatchcock chicken on Sundays for a while now, and came across this recipe.It is so good and everything comes out great! Such a great technique- baking the potatoes first, etc. I even purchased my self a good quality boning knife and I don’t think I will roast a chicken any other way ever again.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! So happy to make it into your Sunday recipe rotation
The chicken turned out perfectly, potatoes delicious. The only comment I would have is that this recipe has ZERO salt in it and it showed. Everything was very under seasoned but tasty once we salted our plates.
Thanks for bringing this omission to our attention. I have corrected it- salt to taste is key!