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If you love the comforting taste of a Sunday roast but don’t have two hours to wait around for it to bake, this Roasted Butterflied Chicken & Root Vegetables is going to be your new favourite dinner hack!
What exactly is a butterflied chicken? Also known as “spatchcocking,” butterflying simply means removing the backbone of the bird so you can press it completely flat. Because the chicken lies flat, it cooks very evenly and shaves a good amount of time off your roasting schedule! While a traditional whole chicken takes up to two hours to bake, this butterflied version is perfectly juicy and ready to carve in just 45 minutes.
The absolute best part of this recipe? It is a complete one-pan meal! We roast the flattened chicken directly on top of a bed of sweet potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts. As it bakes, the rosemary-garlic butter melts down, infusing the root vegetables with unbelievable flavour. We even take the leftover pan drippings and turn them into a rich, homemade roasted garlic gravy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Faster Cooking: Flattening the chicken exposes all the meat to the heat evenly, meaning you get perfectly cooked, juicy meat and crispy skin in a fraction of the time.
A True One-Pan Wonder: Your protein and your vegetable side dish roast together in one heavy-duty pan, saving you a great amount of cleanup.
The “Liquid Gold” Gravy: Squeezing the sweet, caramelized roasted garlic cloves directly into the pan drippings creates a fast, delicious gravy to pour over your plate.
Ingredients You Will Need
Gather your favourite seasonal veggies and a whole chicken to build this ultimate comfort meal!
The Chicken & Butter Rub:
The Bird: One 3-pound whole chicken.
The Butter Rub: ½ cup of unsalted butter (melted), 3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried), and 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic (about 4 cloves).
The Seasoning: 2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon ground paprika (for that beautiful golden skin!).
The Root Vegetables:
The Veggies: 5 small sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes), 5 large carrots (peeled, halved, and cut into 2-inch strips), 1 pound of Brussels sprouts (halved), and 2 large red onions (peeled and cut into wedges).
The Roasted Garlic: 1 whole bulb of fresh garlic.
The Toss: 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
The Pan Dripping Gravy:
The Base: All the leftover pan drippings from the roasting pan, plus the roasted garlic cloves.
The Flavour: 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, and ½ teaspoon brown sugar.
The Thickener: A slurry made of 1 Tablespoon cornstarch whisked with 2 Tablespoons of water.
How to Make Butterflied Roast Chicken
Phase 1: Prep the Veggies
Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C) and ensure the oven rack is in the middle position.
Add all of your prepped sweet potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and red onions into a heavy-duty roasting pan. Season with the olive oil, salt, and black pepper, and toss to coat.
Peel the loose, papery outer layer off the whole garlic bulb. Use a sharp knife to cut ¼-inch off the very top, exposing the cloves inside. Place the bulb in the corner of the roasting pan right on top of the vegetables.
Phase 2: Butterfly (Spatchcock) the Chicken
Rinse the chicken and pat it completely dry with paper towels. Remove any butcher’s twine.
Place the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board. Using sharp poultry shears (or heavy-duty kitchen scissors), cut completely along one side of the backbone, from the tail to the neck. Repeat on the other side of the backbone until you can remove the bone entirely. (Save this bone in a freezer bag to make homemade chicken broth later!)
Flip the chicken over so the breast side is up. Use the heels of your hands to firmly press down on the breastbone until you hear a crack and the chicken lies completely flat.
Phase 3: Butter and Roast
In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the unsalted butter for 30 seconds. Stir in the salt, black pepper, fresh rosemary, minced garlic, and paprika.
Brush this butter mixture generously all over the top of the flattened chicken.
Place the chicken directly on top of the bed of vegetables in the roasting pan. (Make sure the wings are tucked or pointing toward the legs so they don’t burn).
Roast uncovered for 45 minutes, or until a food thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (74°C).
Phase 4: Make the Roasted Garlic Gravy
Carefully transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes so the juices reabsorb. Scoop the roasted vegetables into a serving dish.
Set the roasted garlic bulb aside. Pour all the leftover pan drippings through a mesh strainer and directly into a small saucepan.
Squeeze the soft, caramelized garlic cloves out of the roasted bulb and drop them into the saucepan with the drippings. Add the water, salt, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisking or pressing to break up the garlic.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the boiling gravy until it thickens beautifully. Serve over the sliced chicken and veggies!
💡Pro Tips for the Best Roast
No Special Tools Needed: You do not need expensive, specialized tools to butterfly a chicken! While poultry shears are great, a standard pair of clean, heavy-duty kitchen scissors will cut through the ribcage along the backbone as well.
Use a Meat Thermometer: A digital food thermometer is your absolute best friend in the kitchen! It takes all the guesswork out of roasting. The second the thickest part of the thigh hits 165°F (74°C), pull it out so the breast meat stays juicy!
Uniform Veggie Cuts: Root vegetables are dense. To ensure everything cooks evenly at the exact same time, make sure your sweet potatoes and carrots are cut into relatively uniform, bite-sized pieces.
Complete the Dinner Menu
This one-pan meal has your protein and veggies covered, but you can round out your ultimate Sunday dinner spread with these additional dishes:
My Foolproof Sourdough: You will want thick, crusty slices of this beautiful homemade artisan bread on the table to sop up every last drop of that roasted garlic gravy!
Zesty No-Mayo Summer Coleslaw: Serve a bowl of this incredibly refreshing, crunchy side salad to cut through the rich, buttery heaviness of the roast chicken.
Simple Blood Orange Ricotta Cake: Finish your savoury, comforting meal with a slice of this bright, zesty, and incredibly light Italian dessert.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use different vegetables?
Absolutely! The vegetables listed are simply suggestions. You can easily swap them out for your favourite root vegetables. Standard yellow potatoes, baby potatoes, parsnips, turnips, or chunks of butternut squash all roast beautifully under the chicken drippings!
Can I prep this ahead of time?
Yes! You can butterfly the chicken, chop all your vegetables, and mix your compound rosemary butter the night before. Keep everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge, and simply assemble the pan right before you preheat the oven.
Butterflied, oven-roasted chicken that cooks evenly in less time than a traditional whole chicken and adds extra flavour to root vegetables by roasting everything in one pan.
Prep the Oven and Vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Make sure the oven rack is moved to the middle. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and red onions to a heavy-duty roasting pan. Season the vegetables with the olive oil, salt, and black pepper, tossing to coat. Place the prepped bulb of fresh garlic in the corner of the roasting pan directly on top of the vegetables.
Butterfly the Chicken: Rinse and pat the chicken dry, removing any butcher’s twine. Place the chicken breast-side down on a board. Using sharp kitchen or poultry shears, cut completely along each side of the backbone (use the neckbone as a guide) to remove the spine entirely. (Save the backbone in a freezer bag for broth later!) Flip the chicken over and firmly press down on the breastbone to crack it, flattening the chicken completely.
Butter and Roast: In a small heatproof bowl, melt the unsalted butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in the salt, black pepper, rosemary, minced garlic, and paprika. Brush this butter mixture generously all over the butterflied chicken. Place the chicken directly on top of the vegetables in the pan, ensuring the wings are pointing towards the legs. Roast uncovered for 45 minutes, or until the chicken’s internal temperature reads 165°F (74°C) on a food thermometer.
Rest the Meat: Transfer the roasted chicken onto a cutting board and allow it to rest for 10 minutes so the juices reabsorb into the meat. Scoop the roasted vegetables into a serving dish.
Make the Roasted Garlic Gravy: Pour the excess drippings from the roasting pan through a strainer and into a small saucepan. Squeeze the soft, roasted garlic cloves out of the bulb and drop them into the saucepan. Add the 1 cup of water, salt, and brown sugar. Bring everything to a boil over high heat, whisking or pressing to break down the garlic. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the boiling gravy until it thickens. Serve hot over your chicken and veggies!
Uniform Veggie Cuts: Root vegetables are dense. To ensure everything cooks evenly at the exact same time, make sure your sweet potatoes and carrots are cut into relatively uniform, bite-sized pieces.
Can I use different vegetables?Absolutely! The vegetables listed are simply suggestions. You can easily swap them out for your favourite root vegetables. Standard yellow potatoes, baby potatoes, parsnips, turnips, or chunks of butternut squash all roast beautifully under the chicken drippings!Can I prep this ahead of time?Yes! You can butterfly the chicken, chop all your vegetables, and mix your compound rosemary butter the night before. Keep everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge, and simply assemble the pan right before you preheat the oven.
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Can I use different vegetables?
Absolutely! The vegetables listed are simply suggestions. You can easily swap them out for your favourite root vegetables. Standard yellow potatoes, baby potatoes, parsnips, turnips, or chunks of butternut squash all roast beautifully under the chicken drippings!
Can I prep this ahead of time?
Yes! You can butterfly the chicken, chop all your vegetables, and mix your compound rosemary butter the night before. Keep everything in separate airtight containers in the fridge, and simply assemble the pan right before you preheat the oven.
