Spatchcock Roast Chicken (Pizza Oven)

A butterflied chicken roasted flat in cast iron in a pizza oven, with lemon, garlic and herb butter under the skin, basted every ten minutes.

Untested: I have not cooked this one yet — the pizza oven has not been bought. It is here for the Pizza Ovens dive, and it is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.4 kg (3 lb)
• 75 g (⅓ cup) butter, softened
• 24 g (4 cloves) garlic, minced
• 1 large sprig rosemary, chopped
• 1 large sprig thyme, chopped
• Zest of 2 lemons (then halve the lemons)

Fine sea salt and black pepper

• 60 ml (4 tablespoons) extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Herb butter. Mix the butter, garlic, herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
2. Spatchcock. Cut out the backbone with poultry shears and press the bird flat.
3. Butter it. Spread the herb butter over the chicken and under the breast skin.
4. Pan. Oil a cast-iron pan, lay the chicken skin side up, put the lemon halves around it, pour over the oil and season.
5. Heat the oven to about 464 °F (240 °C) — a roasting heat, far below pizza heat. In a wood oven, keep the fire small and steady.
6. Roast about 45 minutes. Every 10 minutes, take the pan out, baste, and turn it for even cooking.
7. Check that the thickest part of the breast reads at least 165 °F (74 °C). Squeeze the charred lemons over to serve.

Notes

Source Adapted from Gabriella Resendiz, “Spatchcock Roast Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Herb Butter,” on Ooni’s recipe pages. (The page lists “60 ml (5 tablespoons)” of oil; 60 ml is 4 tablespoons.)

Why spatchcock A whole bird is too tall for most portable pizza ovens; flattened, it fits and cooks evenly.

The Pizza Ovens dive on the Food site covers the oven, the fire and the dough in depth.