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Spatchcock chicken in creamy mustard sauce is the fastest way to get a roast chicken on the table. It’s a midweek miracle! After some clever snippery, your whole bird can be oven-cooked and served in under an hour. This recipe is fragrant with garlic and thyme, and the sauce is zappy with not one, but two types of mustard!
Not ready to perform kitchen counter surgery? Don’t miss out on the chicken and mustard combo with this chicken in wine and mustard sauce; juicy thighs braised in white wine with lashings of cream and Dijon mustard.
The clocks have gone forward, the magnolia blossom is out, and Easter eggs are on shelves in the UK. It’s official, I’m switching out of my comfort food mode and over to lighter meals which require less kitchen time- so I can enjoy the outdoors!
As I’m not quite ready to give up the tanned crispy skin and plump meaty choices a whole roast chicken has to offer for the next six months, I need to get chicken-smart. I’m minimising the cook time by spatchcocking the bird instead and serving it with more weather appropriate sides. Who’s with me?!
Roasted spatchcock chicken
The origins of the term ‘spatchcock’ are fairly murky! All agree that the term, and the method, came from Ireland in the 1800s, with some saying it is an amalgamation of the phrase ‘dispatch the cock’ and others citing it comes from an old Irish verb ‘spothaim’ meaning ‘to split’. You might be more familiar with the term ‘butterfly’.
In either case, I am all about spatchcock chicken recipes right now! Check out my spatchcock chicken with breadcrumbs or spatchcock chicken in spicy yoghurt sauce.
Essentially, spatchcocking involves a little kitchen butchery. Using a very large and sharp knife, remove the backbone from a whole bird and push it flat with the palm of your hand, which will emit a pleasing crack. This flattens the bird out (resembling a butterfly) ready for cooking.
It may sound borderline horror flick and require more effort than just bunging a chicken in the oven, but the payoff is huge! As long as your This is an affiliate link.knife is freshly whetted and your handy steady, you got this.
First, your whole roast chicken will cook in half the time, which means you can eat it any night of the week.
Second, the meat will cook more evenly throughout- no dry breast but perfect thigh situations.
Third, it is practically carved for you so there’s less risk of the meat and sides getting cold while you tend to that.
Lastly, don’t you hate how roast chicken leftovers take up so much space in the fridge? Well, spatchcock leftovers are easily boxed and can be neatly stored.
Dijon mustard sauce
Chicken and mustard are perfect partners. Chicken has a mild slightly sweet flavour to it, and this is complimented by the salty, vinegary sharpness of mustard. It’s a combination I can’t get enough of- I put mustard in chicken pasta and add a splodge of it to chicken pie.
In this mustard sauce, I’ve combined two of my favourites: Dijon and wholegrain. This is an affiliate link.Dijon mustard is a muted amber yellow and smooth in texture. It is far milder than English mustard but still has a decent kick! This is an affiliate link.Wholegrain is thick with both yellow and brown mustard seeds, giving texture and colour, while still fairly mild.
You can opt for both like me or choose one or the other.
The addition of cream does two things: 1) it stretches the sauce further (using pure mustard would blow the chicken out the oven) and 2) it serves to dampen down the spice factor, should you have more sensitive diners at the table.
Feel free to tinker with the quantities of mustard and cream to suit your own taste.
Recipe Tips and notes
- Intimidated? Don’t be! After you’ve done it once, you’ll do it every time.
- However, before embarking on the method, you need the right tools: a super sharp kitchen This is an affiliate link.knife OR kitchen shears, and a decisive hand. You will be cutting through bone.
- I’ve supplied a handy step-by-step photo collage to guide you though.
- Spatchcock or butterflied chicken will cook in half the time of a whole bird, and more evenly. Those are the prime benefits!
- To be sure your chicken is cooked sufficiently, use your trusty This is an affiliate link.meat thermometer. The thickest part of the bird should read 74C/165F.
- What makes this spatchcock chicken recipe standout is the mustard sauce. I’ve combined both Dijon and wholegrain for a double delish sauce. If you’re not keen on one or the other, just leave it out.
- This is the simplest sauce to put together- just mix all the ingredients together and pour over the half-roasted chicken.
- Keep those leftovers for future meals!
Serving suggestions
There are so many options for accompanying a roast chicken, but due to the creamy piquant sauce smothering this one, I prefer to serve with lighter sides:
– a simple green garden salad and buttered new potatoes
– colourful, slow-roasted oven vegetables and air fryer fries
– fresh and summery Green Goddess pasta salad has all you need in one dish
– quinoa salad with lentils and beets is a nutritional powerhouse in a single bowl
Storage and leftovers
Leftover roasted spatchcocked chicken in creamy sauce will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. Make sure this one is tightly covered so the mustardy aromas don’t permeate the shelf-sharers.
I like to maximise roast chicken leftovers by turning them into new meals. I’d use this thyme-and-mustard-tinted meat in a soup, salad or a sandwich or wrap.
More chicken recipes to try
- Chicken with Garlic Mushroom Sauce
- Thai Glazed Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- Chicken with 40 Cloves of garlic
- Roast Chicken with Mango Chutney Glaze
Spatchcock Chicken in Creamy Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 large whole chicken, (2.5kg / 5.5lbs)
- 2 tsp garlic powder, divided
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 thyme sprigs, divided
- 300ml / 1¼ cups double / heavy cream
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.whole grain mustard
- 125ml / 1/2 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C/450F. To spatchcock a chicken place it breast side down and with a sharp knife or kitchen scissors cut along one side of a backbone then repeat with the other side. Remove the backbone and turn the bird cut side down. Place the palm of your hand on the chicken breast and push down firmly to flatten it. Tuck the wing tips under the breasts to avoid burning. (See the photo guide in the post) Use the backbone to make a chicken stock or discard.
- Brush the chicken with the olive oil, season with salt, 1 tsp of garlic powder and half of the thyme leaves. Roast at 220C/450F for 25 minutes or until the chicken starts to turn golden.
- While the chicken is roasting mix the double(heavy) cream, both mustards, the remaining garlic powder and thyme leaves. Measure out the white wine.
- Take the chicken out of the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 150C/300F. Now pour the white wine over the bottom of the pan, tilt the pan, so it spreads all over. Then pour the cream and mustard mixture all over the chicken and continue roasting for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 74C/165F. Take out of the oven and rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
