With grilling season upon us, now is a good time to roll out a recipe for spatchcocked chicken. Also known as butterflied chicken, the chickens have been cut down the backbone so they lay out flat for a nice, even cooking. This flattening allows all the delicious marinade seasonings in the dish to be in contact with all the parts of the bird. It also makes cooking on a grill faster and makes sure the bird cooks evenly.
Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken with Farro Salad
A great recipe for grilling season using our Certified Organic, pasture raised chickens. Also includes a recipe for an accompanying Farro Salad.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole spatchcocked chicken, 4-5 lbs
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Marinade
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 cup farro
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup cucumbers, diced
- ¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup mint leaves, thinly sliced
For the Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken Preparation
- In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chicken, rotating until evenly coated and distributed. Seal everything in a large container or gallon-sized resealable bag and return the fridge to marinate for at least two hours, or overnight. If the chicken is too large to fit in one container or bag, you can carve it in half.
For the Farro Salad
- Fill a medium saucepan half full with water and salt to taste. Bring this to a boil along with the bay leaves.
- Once boiling, add one cup of rinsed farro, reduce the heat, and simmer until tender. The cook time will vary from 15-40 minutes depending on the type of farro you have, so follow the directions on the package.
- While the farro is cooking, sauté the diced cremini mushrooms, salted and peppered to taste, in one tablespoon of olive oil on medium high heat until they are soft and lightly browned. Set aside.
- Once the farro is tender, drain it, remove the bay leaves, and transfer to a large bowl.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- To the cooled, cooked farro, add the sautéed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, mint leaves, scallions, and the dressing. Toss to combine.
Grilling Instructions
- Light the grill and allow time for the grates to come to temperature. For most gas grills, set the burners somewhere between medium and high.
- Before grilling, allow some of the excess marinade to drip from the chicken to prevent flare ups, but no need to fully blot dry. Season all over with more salt and pepper.
- Start grilling the chicken skin side down over direct heat on the hottest part of the grill until the skin starts to look crisp and golden brown, then flip the chicken and continue grilling over more indirect heat.
- Continue grilling for 45 minutes to one hour until the chicken is golden brown all over, the skin looks crisp and lightly charred, any juices are running clear, and a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll want to flip it occasionally.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.