I don’t know about you, but cooking a chunk of meat larger than the size of my head sometimes intimidates me. How do I get the thing to cook evenly? Do I need to rotate it? Breast side up or down? Will it implode like Clark Griswold’s turkey on Christmas Vacation?

Ah, I have the perfect Roast Split Chicken recipe for you. The chicken skin thin and crisp, the meat succulent and the sauce divine. Best of all, it’s so easy!

split roast chicken on plate

Why This Roast Split Chicken Is So Good

  • Crispy skin while keeping the meat super succulent
  • Easy to follow recipe – only a few ingredients needed
  • An addictive lemon and artichoke sauce

Ingredients

  • Cooking oil
  • Organic chicken
  • Salt and pepper
  • Artichoke
  • Thyme, parsley
  • White wine
  • Lemon

How To Make This Roast Split Chicken – Step By Step

  1. Preheat your oven to 475F. On your stove top, heat a large oven safe frying pan on high heat (big enough to fit the bird, and one that can withstand high heat in the oven. I prefer cast iron). Swirl in oil. While the pan heats up, make sure your bird is patted as dry as possible. When the pan is very hot – gently place the bird SKIN side down in the pan. Season the top of bird with salt and pepper. Immediately place the entire pan in oven for 10 minutes.
  2. Carefully remove hot pan from oven. flip the bird over. The skin should be beautifully golden and crisp. Generously season the skin side with salt and pepper. Return pan to the oven. Roast another 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, place chicken on a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
  3. Put the hot pan (careful! the pan is very hot still!) on the stovetop. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the pan drippings. Add the artichokes and fry until softened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, dried thyme, wine, lemon. Reduce the sauce by half, about 2 minutes more. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Serve chicken with sauce.

How To Split A Chicken

I was inspired by watching Joanne Weir’s cooking show on PBS last night. The secret is to split the bird, or spatchcock, by using sharp kitchen shears to cut out the backbone. With the whole bird on the cutting board, breast side down, take your shears and start at the tail end, about 1″ to the right of the backbone.

Cut all the way up to the neck. Repeat on the other side of the backbone. Flip the bird over, and using the palms of your hands, push to flatten out the bird even more. The flatter, the better, as more of the surface will touch the hot pan and crisp the skin. See video of how to spatchcock the chicken.

An Easy Sauce For Chicken

The sauce is so simple and only takes minutes to finish! Made from chicken drippings, artichoke, some herbs and seasoning, it’s the perfect accompaniment for this Split chicken!

What To Serve With This Split Roast Chicken

It’s so easy to turn this into a one-pot meal. Just place potatoes and other vegetables you’ve prepared right in with the roasted chicken and cook them together. Be sure to adjust the cooking time up, depending on how many vegetables are cooking alongside the meat.

Top Tips For Roast Split Chicken

  • If possible opt for organic chicken.
  • You can use fresh or canned artichokes, just make sure to trim them.
  • Any seasoning can be added to the chicken breasts before cooking.
  • Line the pan with diced vegetables or potatoes for a complete meal in one dish.

chicken in pan

Check Out These Other Delicious Chicken Recipes

Have you tried this Roast Split Chicken recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Roast Split Chicken with Lemony Artichoke Sauce

Jaden Hair
Servings: 4Prep Time:Cook Time:
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 515 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons high heat cooking oil canola, vegetable, peanut
  • One 3.5 pound organic chicken spatchcocked
  • kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 whole artichoke trimmed or 6 ounces drained canned artichoke hearts, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/2 lemon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 475F. On your stove top, heat a large oven safe frying pan on high heat (big enough to fit the bird, and one that can withstand high heat in the oven. I prefer cast iron). Swirl in oil. While the pan heats up, make sure your bird is patted as dry as possible. When the pan is very hot - gently place the bird SKIN side down in the pan. Season the top of bird with salt and pepper. Immediately place the entire pan in oven for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully remove hot pan from oven. flip the bird over. The skin should be beautifully golden and crisp. Generously season the skin side with salt and pepper. Return pan to the oven. Roast another 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, place chicken on a plate and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
  • Put the hot pan (careful! the pan is very hot still!) on the stovetop. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the pan drippings. Add the artichokes and fry until softened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, dried thyme, wine, lemon. Reduce the sauce by half, about 2 minutes more. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Serve chicken with sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 515kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 37gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 238mgPotassium: 518mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 267IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 2mg
Keyword lemon chicken, roast chicken, split chicken
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!