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Roasted spatchcock pesto chicken
Ingredients
- 4 cups (90 grams) loosely packed basil
- 1 cup (20 grams) loosely packed parsley
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) grated pecorino cheese
- 3 tablespoons (40 grams) finely chopped walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons (8 millilitres) lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons (45 millilitres) lemon juice or the juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup (125 millilitres) olive oil, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5 - 1.75 kilogram whole chicken
Directions
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with a roasting rack; set aside.
- Place basil, parsley, pecorino, walnuts, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender and pulse until well combined.
- Spatchcock the chicken by removing the backbone. To remove, flip the chicken over so that it sits breast side down. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut along either side of the backbone. Flip the bird over and press down flatten. Discard backbone or reserve for stock.
- Place the chicken breast side down on roasting rack and rub two tablespoons (30 grams) of pesto over the underside of the chicken.
- Flip the chicken over, separate the breast skin from the meat with a spoon or hands and spoon two tablespoons of pesto under the skin and evenly distribute it as best you can.
- Coat outside of the chicken with another three tablespoons (45 grams) of pesto and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to 350°F (176°C) and continue roasting for another 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Option 1: Remove from oven, tent with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes prior to slicing to serve.
- Option 2: Cool completely to use on the Roasted Panzanella Salad or Pesto Chicken BLT, saving remaining pesto as well.
