Air Fryer Spatchcock Chicken

posted by Stacie on January 5, 2020 // 12 Comments »

Air Fryer Spatchcock Chicken

I have yet another confession. I seem to have developed an addiction to air-frying foods. It all started a couple of months ago when we received our 8 qt air fryer. Now I had tried air frying before, but not with a machine that could fit enough food for a family of 5.

That was a game changer in our kitchen, and one of the first things I wanted to nail down was an air fryer whole chicken recipe, especially a spatchcock lemon chicken recipe or even a sheet pan spatchcock chicken. We hope that you love this Air Fryer Spatchcock Chicken or Air Fry Spatchcock Chicken recipe.

Trader Joe's Spatchcock Chicken Recipes | Spatchcock Chicken Seasoning | Chicken Spatchcock Marinade

Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken Spatchcock Style 1

This recipe is sponsored by Perdue Farms. All words and opinions are my own.

When Perdue Farms approached me and asked if I would like to try some of their new offerings, this was the first recipe that came to mind. We use a Sonoma Red Organic Pasture Raised Whole Chicken here. So what is a Sonoma Red chicken? Well, for one, it is a chicken that is slower growing that your average supermarket bird.

The distribution of meat is a bit different as well; the thighs tend to be a bit bigger, while the breast and wings a bit smaller. The meat also has more flavor and better texture, at least in my opinion. This is a bird that doesn't need a marinade to taste great. I will pay more for Perdue chicken, even though it's more expensive, because I know it's a higher quality product that was humanely raised.

Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

Ingredients for the spatchcock chicken in air fryer

1 3.5-4 pound young chicken (we used a Perdue Farms Organic Young Chicken)
1 lemon
sea salt
black pepper
thyme
smoked paprika
Air Fryer

Directions on how to cut a spatchcock chicken

Do you know how to cut a spatchcock chicken? For our herb roasted spatchcock chicken, place your chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Remove the spine of the chicken with kitchen shears. To do this you make two cuts, one on each side of the spine, from one end of the chicken to the other.

Once you remove the spine, butterfly the chicken by opening it up like a book and pressing down to flatten it. Season generously with thyme, sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. These ingredients comprise our spatchcock chicken rub.

Now flip the chicken over and season the skin side in the same manner. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the chicken and rub everything in.

Place chicken on a rack skin side up (this is just like sheet pan spatchcock chicken) and place in air fryer (I sprayed the rack with a little food release to make sure nothing would stick).

Air fry the chicken at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until it is cooked through. The temp for spatchcock chicken should be You want the skin to become crispy and golden, and you want the meat for your sheet pan spatchcock chicken cooked through.

Once done, remove the chicken from the air fryer and allow it to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes. When it comes to how to cut spatchcock chicken, simply cut it as a regular whole chicken. You can pull the spatchcock chicken legs right off. Carving spatchcock chicken should be quick.

Enjoy!

Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken Spatchcock Style - Step 6 finished chicken

Let us know how your herb roasted spatchcock chicken came out in the comments, and if you need more inspiration, check out our Air Fryer Schnitzel Recipe. We hope that you are inspired by this Best Air Fryer Whole Chicken Spatchcock Style recipe. Happy cooking!

Print Recipe

Air Fryer Whole Chicken Spatchcock Style

Ingredients:

1 3.5-4 pound young chicken (we used a Perdue Farms Sonoma Red Organic Young Chicken)
1 lemon
sea salt
black pepper
thyme
smoked paprika

Directions:

1. Place your chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Remove the spine of the chicken with kitchen shears. To do this you make two cuts, one on each side of the spine, from one end of the chicken to the other.

2. Once the spine is removed, open the chicken like a butterfly and press down to flatten. Season generously with thyme, sea salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.

3. Now flip the chicken over and season the skin side in the same manner. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the chicken and rub everything in.

4. Place chicken on a rack skin side up and place in air fryer (I sprayed the rack with a little food release to make sure nothing would stick).

5. Cook in the Air Fryer at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until the chicken is done. You want the skin to become crispy and golden, and you want the meat cooked through.

6. Once done, remove the chicken from the air fryer and allow it to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes. Then carve it up and enjoy!

About Perdue Farms

Now I don't know if you know this, but Perdue does more than chicken. Over at the brand new Perdue Farms website, you can find all sorts of high quality artisan products that go beyond chicken. Favorites that I have tried so far include the Sweet Italian Sausage (delicious) and the Organic Grass Fed Stew Meat which is so versatile. Both products were excellent, and I cannot wait to try the True Angus Ribeye (man I love a good steak).

Perdue Farms farms every single item that is sold on their site with sustainability and responsible animal care in mind. Green practices are a priority, as is raising animals that are free of hormones and antibiotics. When you have a moment, I recommend checking out the Perdue Farms website. I think you'll be surprised at what you find. Now let's cook some lemon spatchcock chicken!

How to spatchcock chicken with a knife?

Check out this video:

Questions about air fry spatchcock chicken

What does spatchcock chicken mean? Why is it called spatchcock chicken? The spatchcock chicken definition is a cooking method where the backbone of a whole chicken is removed, so that the chicken can be flattened and cooked evenly. People also call this method butterflying a chicken. Air fried spatchcock chicken is about the best way to cook it.

How long to cook a spatchcock chicken? What is the cooking time for spatchcock chicken? Our cooking time is about 35 minutes at 375 degrees. This will vary per oven and cooking surface.
Does spatchcock chicken cook faster? Yes! By spatchcocking your chicken, you can significantly reduce the cooking time and allow the whole bird to be cooked in different ways, such as grilling, smoking, and more. Spatchcock lemon chicken can cook in half of the time.

Where to check temp on spatchcock chicken? Insert your meat thermometer into the center of the chicken breast. The spatchcock chicken internal temperature or spatchcock chicken done temp should be 180°F (82°C) for your whole chicken or herb roasted spatchcock chicken.

What to serve with spatchcock chicken? We absolutely love serving chicken and vegetables with our chicken dishes. Lemon spatchcock chicken is especially delicious with broccoli.