Our smoked spatchcock chicken recipe is the perfect way to liven up dinnertime.
The chicken is smoky, moist, and tender and thanks to the spatchcock butchering technique, the meat is cooked evenly and the skin is crisp and flavorful.
In this recipe, we take full advantage of the spatchcock butchering technique.
The chicken is heavily seasoned on the inside and outside with a dry rub and then smoked low and slow to bring out its natural flavors.
It takes some time but it’s worth every minute! In reality the spatchcock smoked chicken will take less time to cook compared to a traditional, whole chicken.
We use our Traeger pellet smoker because of how well it produces delicious smoked meats with minimal effort!
Pellet smoked spatchcock chicken is a dish that will get rave reviews from family and friends.
We love the spatchcock method for cooking chicken, but if you are looking for a traditional style chicken, check out how to make Smoked Whole Chicken On Pellet Grill.
If you’re a lover of all things, chicken, you might also want to try making Traditional Chicken Soup From Scratch!
What is spatchcock chicken?
A spatchcock chicken is a whole chicken with the backbone removed.
The whole bird is butterflied and opened up so that the chicken can be laid flat.
The main benefit of spatchcock chicken is that the chicken has a closer exposure to heat.
This means it saves time in the cooking process, the meat cooks more evenly, and the skin gets crispier.
While this type of chicken can be cooked in a number of different ways, from pan searing to oven roasting, today we are going to show you how to make the best smoked spatchcock chicken recipe.
How do you spatchcock a chicken?
To spatchcock a chicken, take the bird and lay it breast side down on your cutting board or countertop (skin side up). Next pull out two of the leg quarters by grabbing one thigh with each hand then pulling apart to remove them from the body cavity leaving you with just three pieces: The breasts still attached to the wing and back.
Flip the chicken over onto its breast, skin side down on a cutting board or countertop with wings tucked under it so that you are looking at the breast bone.
Now using poultry shears, trim off excess fat from around neck opening then cut all of the way through both sides of either one or two ribs close to the breast, which will help to flatten out the chicken.
Next make a shallow cut at an angle into both sides of each thigh bone (in order for them to lie flat). Finally take a sharp knife and carefully remove skin from breasts up towards neck opening but be careful not to pull on or distort any meat.
From here you can either leave chicken as is or butterfly it by cutting all the way through from tail to breastbone and removing the backbone.
For an additional spatchcock style, you can also cut out the rib cage by cutting along each side of it with a knife.
Spatchcock chicken delivered to your door
Not feeling like butchering your own bird? Yeah, ditto.
Leave the work to Omaha Steaks‘ master butchers. You can order a chicken already spatchcocked directly from their butchers.
They expertly trim the chicken and remove the backbone. It’s immediately sealed and flash frozen to preserve the freshness and flavor.
Once the Omaha Steaks Spatchcock Chicken is delivered to your door, all you have to do is thaw the spatchcock whole chicken, season it, and cook it!
Be sure to save the bones to learn How To Make Bone Broth.
How long to smoke a spatchcock chicken
A smoked whole chicken spatchcock will take around an hour in the smoker.
We like to start by smoking the chicken for 30 minutes at 225 degrees F and then increase the temperature to 400 degrees for the final 30-40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees.
This spatchcock chicken recipe uses the same cooking methodology to finish at a high temperature as our smoked chicken wings recipe.
If you’re looking for a smaller portion, consider making a smoked chicken breast.
The result is juicy meat but a nice crispy skin on the outside. Perfection!
Smoked spatchcock chicken recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total time: 80 minutes
- One whole spatchcock chicken, with skin on
- Your favorite dry rub seasoning (we used Traeger Grills’ Fin and Feather rub)
- ¼ stick butter, melted
Directions:
- Season Omaha Steaks spatchcock chicken with your favorite poultry rub on both the inside and outside.
- Set Traeger to super smoke at 225 degrees Fahrenheit,
- Place the spatchcock in the smoker skin side up and smoke at this temperature for 30 minutes,
- While the bird is smoking melt the butter
- After 30 minutes turn the smoker up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and baste the bird with the melted butter.
- Close the smoker and smoke for 30-40 more minutes at the higher temperature to finish the bird and crisp the skin.
- Pull the spatchcock and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
The secret to a perfect chicken dinner is our smoked spatchcock chicken recipe! It's juicy and smoky on the inside and crisp on the outside.
Ingredients
- One whole spatchcock chicken, with skin on
- Your favorite dry rub seasoning (we used Traeger Grills' Fin and Feather rub)
- ¼ stick butter, melted
Instructions
- Season Omaha Steaks spatchcock chicken with your favorite poultry rub on both the inside and outside.
- Set Traeger to super smoke at 225 degrees Fahrenheit,
- Place the spatchcock in the smoker skin side up and smoke at this temperature for 30 minutes,
- While the bird is smoking melt the butter
- After 30 minutes turn the smoker up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and baste the bird with the melted butter.
- Close the smoker and smoke for 30-40 more minutes at the higher temperature to finish the bird and crisp the skin.
- Pull the spatchcock and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Recommended Products
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Traeger Grills Pro Series 575 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker with Wifi -
Traeger Grills Signature Blend 100% All-Natural Wood Pellets for Smokers -
Stay Dry Pellet Bin, Wood Pellet Storage with Locking Lid -
Traeger Grills SPC176 Fin and Feather Rub with Garlic and Paprika -
Wireless Remote Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer with Dual Probe
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