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Smoked Spatchcock Chicken gives you crackly, smoke kissed skin and impossibly juicy meat from one simple trick, flattening the bird so every part cooks evenly, and when I carved into this one last Saturday evening, Lizzie claimed both drumsticks before the platter hit the table. It is the faster, crispier cousin of our whole smoked chicken, and it might just become your new weekend ritual.
It takes about an hour on the smoker, no brining and no babysitting, which makes it even easier than our famous beer can chicken.
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 60 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 425kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Crisp smoky skin with juicy, tender meat
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our slow cooker lemon chicken thighs
Quick Answer
Cut out the backbone with kitchen shears, press the chicken flat, then pat it dry and season it with oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Smoke it skin side up at 375 degrees with the legs toward the hotter side of the smoker until the breast and innermost thigh both reach 165 degrees, typically 45 minutes to 1 hour. Rest the bird for 10 to 15 minutes, then carve and serve.
Jump to:
- Smoked Spatchcock Chicken Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Smoked Spatchcock Chicken FAQs
- Other Recommended BBQ and Grilling Recipes
- Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Flattening equals even cooking. With the backbone gone and the bird pressed flat, the breast and thighs sit at the same level and finish at the same time, no more dry breast waiting on slow dark meat.
- 375 degrees is the crispy skin zone. Low and slow smoking leaves chicken skin rubbery. The higher heat renders the fat and crisps the skin while the meat still picks up plenty of smoke.
- Dry skin browns, wet skin steams. Patting the bird completely dry before oiling is what lets the skin turn deep golden instead of pale and flabby.
- Simple seasoning lets the smoke shine. Just salt and pepper means the wood flavor is the star, the chicken tastes like barbecue, not like a spice cabinet.
- Leg placement protects the breast. Pointing the legs toward the hotter zone gives the dark meat the extra heat it needs while shielding the delicate breast.
- The rest finishes the job. Ten to fifteen minutes off the heat lets the juices settle back into the meat, so they end up on your fork instead of the cutting board.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One whole chicken, three pantry seasonings, and about an hour of smoke, that is the entire ingredient list.
- It cooks faster and more evenly than a whole bird, with more crispy skin in every serving, perfect alongside a rack of fall off the bone BBQ ribs.
- It feeds 6 people for the price of one grocery store rotisserie chicken, and tastes about a hundred times better.
Key Ingredients
This Smoked Spatchcock Chicken proves you do not need a long ingredient list, just a good bird and a hot smoker.
- Whole Chicken: A 4 to 5 pound bird is the sweet spot, big enough to feed the family, small enough to cook evenly. The same size works beautifully for our whole roast chicken too.
- Kosher Salt: The coarse grains season deeply and help dry out the skin for maximum crispiness. Pink salt or any coarse salt works the same way.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground brings a gentle heat that plays perfectly with sweet fruit wood smoke.
- Olive Oil: A thin coat helps the seasoning stick and jump starts the browning. Any neutral oil works too.
- Wood Pellets or Chunks: Apple, cherry, and pecan give a sweeter smoke, while hickory brings that classic bold barbecue flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This bird is a blank canvas, here is how to make it your own.
- Sauce it: Brush on easy homemade BBQ sauce during the last 15 to 30 minutes so the sugars caramelize instead of burning.
- Swap the rub: Add smoked paprika, garlic powder, and brown sugar to the salt and pepper for a classic barbecue crust.
- Marinate it: A citrus soak like the one on our key lime grilled chicken wings adds a bright, tangy layer under the smoke.
- Spice it up: Cayenne in the rub or a hot honey drizzle at the end gives it a sweet heat finish.
- Use the leftovers: Pile the extra meat into sandwiches like our copycat grilled chicken club, or fold it into salads and tacos all week.
- No smoker? Roast it flat on a sheet pan at 425 degrees in the oven, you will trade the smoke for even crispier skin.
How to Make Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
- Place the chicken breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it.
- Turn the chicken breast side up, then press firmly on the center of the breastbone until the bird lies flat.
- Pat the chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels. Rub the skin and underside with oil, then season evenly with the salt and pepper, including under any loose skin.
- Heat the smoker to 375 degrees. Place the chicken skin side up with the legs pointing toward the hotter part of the smoker and tuck the wing tips behind the breasts.
- Smoke with the lid closed until the breast and innermost thigh each reach at least 165 degrees, typically 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking after 30 minutes. Rest the chicken on a board for 10 to 15 minutes, then separate the leg quarters, remove the wings, and slice the breasts across the grain. Serve hot.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not rinse the chicken. Rinsing spreads bacteria around your sink and counters, patting it dry with paper towels is all it needs.
- Go by temperature, not time. Bird size, weather, and your smoker all change the cook. Check the breast and innermost thigh with a thermometer, both need at least 165 degrees.
- Keep the probe off the bone. Bone conducts heat and reads hotter than the meat around it, which can trick you into pulling the bird early.
- Tuck those wing tips. Folding them behind the breasts keeps the thinnest parts from turning into chicken charcoal.
- Make it a full barbecue. Smoke this bird while oven baked pulled pork sandwiches or a grilled marinated sirloin steak round out the spread.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Raw or cooked, poultry does not forgive time on the counter.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This chicken was made for a backyard cookout table. Serve it with creamy classic potato salad, southern collard greens, and a pile of easy grilled vegetable skewers cooked right alongside it.
For cozier nights, pair it with savory mashed sweet potatoes and let the smoky drippings stand in for gravy. Round out the plate with our corn ribs on the grill, the charred edges and garlic butter make them the perfect smoky side.
And when game day rolls around, carve it up next to a batch of crispy air fryer chicken wings and watch the whole spread disappear.
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken FAQs
Smoke it at 375 degrees. That is hotter than most smoking recipes on purpose, poultry skin needs higher heat to render and crisp, and the flattened bird still absorbs plenty of smoke in the 45 minutes to 1 hour it takes to cook.
A 4 to 5 pound bird typically takes 45 minutes to 1 hour at 375 degrees. Start checking at 30 minutes and always go by internal temperature instead of the clock, the breast and innermost thigh each need to reach at least 165 degrees.
Flattening the bird puts the breast and thighs on the same level, so they cook evenly and finish together. It also cooks noticeably faster than a whole trussed bird and exposes nearly all of the skin to the heat, which means more crispy skin in every serving.
No. Keep it skin side up for the entire cook so the skin crisps and the fat bastes the meat as it renders. Just position the legs toward the hotter part of the smoker and let the lid stay closed.
Three things: pat the skin completely dry before seasoning, coat it with a thin layer of oil, and smoke at 375 degrees instead of a low temperature. If you want a sauced finish, wait until the last 15 to 30 minutes so the sugars do not burn the skin.
Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours of cooking and enjoy them within 4 days. The smoky meat reheats gently in a covered skillet with a splash of stock, and it is fantastic cold in sandwiches and salads too.
Once the bird is picked clean, keep the comfort food coming and try our cheesy fried chicken next.
Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken 4 to 5 pounds, fully thawed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- wood chunks, chips, or pellets such as apple, cherry, pecan, or hickory
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it. Turn the chicken breast side up, then press firmly on the center of the breastbone until the bird lies flat.
- Pat the chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels, do not rinse it. Rub the skin and underside with oil. Combine the salt and black pepper, then season the chicken evenly, including under any loose skin.
- Add the pellets or wood and heat the smoker to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the chicken skin side up with the legs pointing toward the hotter part of the smoker. Tuck the wing tips behind the breasts to prevent burning.
- Cook with the lid closed until the breast and innermost thigh each reach at least 165 degrees, typically 45 minutes to 1 hour. Begin checking after 30 minutes, cooking time varies by bird size, weather, and smoker. Transfer the chicken to a board and rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then separate the leg quarters, remove the wings, and slice the breasts across the grain.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is much easier to make that I tought. The BBQ sauce in this recipe is amazing. I will never buy BBQ sauce again.