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This oven roasted spatchcock chicken in a spicy yogurt sauce boasts thin and crispy skin and the juiciest meat! And the entire chicken is cooked in 45 minutes!
If you love spatchcock chicken, you need to try Spatchcock Roast Chicken in Breadcrumbs and Potatoes!
No matter what season of the year we are in I find myself craving vibrant flavours to perk up our evening dinners. I love when a humble chicken can be elevated to something new and exciting.
If you have never experienced spatchcocked chicken, you are in for a treat! It takes a bit of effort, but it’s all worthwhile for extra moist chicken!
This chicken in a spicy yogurt sauce does just that! Its lively, spicy flavours paired with a creamy sauce nourishes and excites the senses. It also brings luscious, velvety smooth goodness we all need at the end of a long day.
I was debating whether to roast this chicken whole or spatchcock it and finally decided on the latter. After all, I was after a quick dinner and a maximum crispness of the skin!
How to spatchcock a chicken
Spatchcocking is just a cooking techniques that saves time. Did you know that cooking your chicken open flat like a book cuts your cooking time in half?
And by flattening the chicken out, it makes it possible to cook far more evenly than the traditional method. There may be a bit more effort involved, the you won’t mind when tasting extra moist chicken!
Spatchcock chicken, also known as butterflied chicken, is a method of preparing a whole chicken for either roasting or grilling. To make it flat, the back bone of the bird is cut out with either kitchen shears or a sharp knife.
The rest is simple. Flip the chicken oven and firmly press on the breast with a palm of your hand until you hear a crack. Continue pushing until the chicken is flat.
If you are intimidated by the process, don’t be! I have handy photo collage to guide you through it and detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
The flavours
When I set out to create this recipe I wanted a chicken recipe that was reminiscent of a summer barbecue but cooked in the oven. And to my utter joy I achieved just that! How did I do it? Well I double-sauced it!
First, I marinated it for an hour in a very simple marinade but with an addition of smoked paprika that created an allusion the chicken had been grilled.
And later, I smothered it in a spicy yogurt sauce that gave that charred look we absolutely adore in the summer.
Once you get comfortable with spatchcocking a chicken, there are all sorts of flavours you can begin to explore. As a next step I would suggest trying spatchcock chicken in creamy mushroom sauce!
Why this recipe works
When a chicken is spatchcocked not only does cook faster, it also cooks more evenly, so you don’t end up with juicy legs and dry breasts. The chicken comes out juicy on the inside with crispy and flavourful skin. What’s not to love?!
Just add a simple salad and maybe some couscous, hello easy side dish, and you are ready to roll! Tempted? I hope so!
Although I cooked my chicken in the oven, this recipe could be easily adapted for a BBQ. Follow the recipe as written up to step 5.
Instead of cooking it in the oven, grill the chicken on lower heat for about 40 minutes for 3lbs-4lbs bird. The internal temperature of the meat should register 165F/74C.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Spatchcocking works best when using a small chicken. I recommend choosing a chicken that is approximately 3-4lbs (1.4-1.8kg). A smaller chicken has a more ideal balance of skin to meat to make sure it is both crispy and moist.
- Follow the instructions for spatchcocking carefully. There are a lot of small bones in the chicken so proceed carefully to avoid cuts.
- Letting the chicken rest before serving takes a bit of patience but is worth the wait. Resting time allows moisture to be absorbed back into the meat and maximises the amount of moisture.
- Use full fat yogurt to get crispy skin from the chicken. The extra fat content is important for the right cooking reaction to take place, and also prevents the yogurt sauce from becoming too watery.
- Make sure to use This is an affiliate link.smoked paprika in both the marinade and yogurt sauce rather than regular or hot paprika. The clue is in the name as smoked paprika brings a smoky element to the dish, adding an earthy complexity.
Serving suggestions
It’s probably obvious, but a stunning chicken like this is always going to be the centrepiece of any dinner table. Just add a couple of thoughtful side dishes and you are ready to feast!
It works brilliantly as a light dinner when served with just the right salads. Serve with our Summer Picnic Couscous Salad and our Classic Coleslaw for light and flavourful side dishes.
Or try with Easy Peri Peri Rice or Air Fryer Greek Fries!
Storage and leftovers
Cooked chicken stores very well in a fridge for 3-4 days. Try using leftover chicken to turn a salad into a proper meal, or slip it into a quesadilla for a low effort lunch.
Any leftover yogurt sauce will last even longer, giving you the chance to get creative in how to use it! It will be fine for at least a week, and can be kept even longer if checked for mould before use.
More favourite whole chicken recipes
Spatchcoked Chicken in Spicy Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs whole chicken
For the Marinade
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.smoked paprika
- 3 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
For the Spicy Yogurt Sauce
- 250 ml / 1 cup plain yogurt, full fat
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
- 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.
- Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl or measuring cup and pour of the spatchcocked chicken, let it marinade for one hour in the refrigerator.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 450F/220C or 440F/200C on fan setting.
- Mix the ingredients for the spicy yogurt sauce in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
- When the chicken is finished marinating, cook the chicken in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then take out and smother with 3-4 tbsp of the spicy yogurt sauce, cook for 15 minutes longer until the skin is crispy and the temperature of the thickest part of the breast reads 165F/74C. Let it rest for 15 minutes before carving it.
- Serve with the remaining spicy yogurt sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How does skin stay crispy after adding yogurt?
The fat in yogurt causes the skin to crisp up, the same way butter or oil does, Libby.
Just making now but on the bbq, manag ed to keep on side without flame, keeping grill at 425-450. Just put sauce on after 30mins, and going to watch it slowly.
Sounds amazing, keep me posted on how it turned out on the BBQ, Todd!
Once the rains stop I’m heading to the grocery store for a chicken which happen to be on sale and will give this recipe a go. Looks delish and up my alley for ease.
Let me know how you like it, Megan. I just finished up the leftovers and poured more yogurt sauce all over my salad. Mmm…so good!
It’s a great recipe and we enjoyed the flavours very much. Definitely will be cooking spatchcoked chicken again.
I am so happy to hear it, Megan!! Thank you for your feedback!