This Flat Skillet Roasted Chicken ticks all the boxes. It’s beautiful. It’s delicious. It’s impressive. And its easy! It also cooks quicker than a traditional roasted chicken! Great for a Sunday roast, a Friday night dinner with friends, or a weeknight meal for the family.
A Roasted Chicken is, in my opinion, something that everyone should have in their cooking repertoire. It is a great option for any occasion because it is so versatile! Once you understand the technique, you can season it any way you like with a fantastic result every single time.
Give this flat roasted chicken a try!
What I love about this roasted chicken is that by removing the backbone, you shorten the cook time. So if you have a few extra minutes to prep, your dinner can be finished about thirty minutes sooner! With four little ones underfoot, I am often behind schedule getting dinner stated so this is a great trick to have up my sleeve!
This time I chose to cook my chicken over some root vegetables and serve it with roasted acorn squash and spinach salad.
What you’ll need
1 whole chicken
1 large onion
1 bulb of garlic
3-4 carrots
2-3 parsnips (optional)
handful of parsley
2 sprigs of rosemary
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 C dry white wine (optional)
How to Cook Flat Skillet Roasted Chicken
Preheat your oven to 450° F.
Chopping your Vegetables
There is no wrong way to cut these vegetables. I will say that you want everything to be about the same size so it will cook evenly. Here is how I do it…
Start by peeling and quartering the onion. Spread it around the bottom of the skillet. Cut crosswise, right through the middle of the bulb of garlic and throw both pieces into the pan.
Roughly chop the carrots and parsnips and add them to the pan. At this point you have a couple of options:
If you want to eat your vegetables roasted, cut them in pretty big chunks. About three inch long pieces will ensure that the vegetables still have a bit of a bite after cooking. If they’re cut small, they turn to mush.
If you want to make a gravy using the vegetables, you can cut them a little smaller. (I’ll leave a short description of how to do this at the bottom of the post. Delicious over mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash!)
Be sure to save your scraps!! Don’t throw away the tops or skins of your vegetables. Instead, save all your scraps in a labeled ziplock bag in the freezer to be used later. *wink wink* (recipe coming soon)
Drop your herbs in the pan, stalks and all. Drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables and toss to coat. Be sure to pour a little extra on the exposed garlic cloves so they get nice and soft (especially if you’re going to make gravy). Surprisingly, there is no need to salt and pepper the vegetables. Trust me on this one.
Preparing the Bird
First you’ll want to rinse and dry your chicken and check it for any pinfeathers. If you see any, just pluck them out.
Place the bird, breast side down so you can clearly see the back and use a sharp knife or kitchen sheers to cut along either side of the backbone. Watch your fingers!
Notice my bowl of scraps?! Toss the backbone into the same scrap bag.
This little guy LOVES the bone broth we’ll be making later.
Season the inside of the bird with salt and pepper.
The last step to butterfly your chicken is to turn it breast side up and apply force to the breast bone. You want it to break so the chicken can lay as flat as possible.
Coat the top of the chicken with olive oil. Use your hands and rub it all over! Just be sure to wash them thoroughly after!
Season the top generously with salt and pepper. My dad would say “Don’t be afraid of the salt. A lot of it will cook off.”
Now put that beautifully seasoned chicken into a 450° F oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, pour about 1/4 C of dry white wine around the chicken and continue roasting for another 15-30 minutes. Cook time will depend on the size of the bird. When the juices run clear, your chicken is done! If you want to be doubly sure it’s cooked through, you can check with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature of chicken should be 165° F.
Note: You can substitute bone broth (recipe coming soon), chicken stock, or a little bit of water for the wine in this recipe or leave it out completely. All options will be delicious.
When you remove the chicken from the oven, be sure to let it rest for 15 minutes to allow time for the moisture to get back into the meat. We want that chicken to be juicy!
Spoon some of the juices over the top. You can serve this right in the skillet. I like the aesthetic and there will be one less dish to wash later! ENJOY your flat skillet roasted chicken!!
If you choose to make gravy from the roasted vegetables…
Remove the chicken from the pan and put the skillet on the stove over medium-low heat. Squish the garlic out of the skins and into the pan. Stir in about 1 Tbs of flour (you can leave this out for a thinner consistency). Smash all of the vegetables with a potato masher or even just a fork and add 1-2 C (to your preference) of ideally, bone broth (recipe coming soon), but chicken stock or water will work fine. Simmer for 15 minutes- the same time you’re resting the meat. Just before serving, taste for seasoning and pour the mixture through a course sieve. YUM!
If you would like a full recipe for this gravy, please leave a comment and let me know!
Flat Skillet Raosted Chicken
This Flat Skillet Roasted Chicken is beautiful, delicious, impressive, easy, and cooks quicker than a traditional roasted chicken! Perfect for a special occasion or a weeknight meal with family.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 lg onion
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 3-4 carrots
- 2-3 parsnips (optional)
- handful of parsley
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 C dry white wine
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 450° F.
2. Peel and quarter the onion, cut the bulb of garlic in half crosswise, and roughly chop the carrots and parsnips. Spread them all in the skillet.
3. Drizzle with oil only. Add the herbs to the pan.
4. Rinse and dry the chicken. Butterfly the bird by removing the backbone. To do this, place it breast side down, and cut along either side of the backbone with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
5. Lay the chicken breast side up, coat the top with olive oil, and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
6. Put the chicken into the preheated oven for 30 mins.
7. Pour the wine around the chicken (not on top) and roast for an additional 15-30 minutes or until the internal temerature reaches 165° F.
8. Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes.
9. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
1. Bone broth, chicken stock, or water can be substituted for the wine in this recipe.
2. Consider how you want to use your vegetables before cutting them. If you plan to eat them roasted, cut bigger chunks. If you plan to use them for gravy, cut them smaller.
3. Remember to save your vegetable scraps and backbone in a labeled bag in your freezer to make bone broth or stock later.
Tell us more about your vegetable gravy recipe!