Rosemary Lemon Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken (Butterflied Chicken)
This keto grilled spatchcocked chicken recipe features the most delicious rosemary lemon chicken marinade! With this butterflied chicken trick, you can grill a whole chicken in less than 45 minutes!
Table of Contents
What is Spatchcocked/Butterflied Chicken?
Spatchcocking or Butterflying is the process of removing the backbone of the whole chicken to make it able to completely open and flattened, so it cooks faster! This process reduces the time of cooking a whole bird to just 45 minutes!
These terms are used interchangeably and mean the same thing. While it may sound intimidating, it’s actually quite easy. This recipe will walk you through the steps to do it yourself at home!
What Makes This Recipe Great
The weather is warming up, Memorial Day is almost here, and I don’t know about you, but bbq season is about to commence and I am SO excited! I will be making this rosemary lemon grilled spatchcocked chicken all summer long!
This butterflied chicken recipe features the most delicious rosemary lemon chicken marinade, I just can’t get enough! Simply smother the chicken in lemon zest, rosemary, and garlic olive oil rub. The best part? It’s cooked and ready in less than 45 minutes. Summer grilling is my favorite!
Watch The Recipe Video
Note: You can also watch this recipe video on YouTube.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: I love using Cooks Venture chicken since all of their chicken is pasture-raised and the highest quality you can buy.
- Herbs: I love using rosemary, but you could use thyme if that’s what you have. Fresh is always best, but you can use dried also. You’ll need about 1.5 tablespoons of dried rosemary (or thyme).
- Avocado Oil: Or your favorite neutral cooking oil.
- Lemons: Using fresh lemons is best for this recipe. A bottle of lemon juice will work in a pinch.
- Fresh Garlic: You’ll need fresh garlic cloves, grated, or finely chopped.
- Salt and Pepper: Use to taste.
Rosemary Lemon Chicken Marinade
The very *best* part of this recipe is the grilled lemons. You simply cut the lemons in half and grill them during the last few minutes of cooking the chicken. The heat cooks out all the sourness of the lemon and reduces the juices and pulp inside. When you squeeze out the lemons, the pulp gets all thick and wonderful, almost like a paste.
This lemon chicken marinade is the go-to marinade that I make constantly because I always have these items on hand. It’s so simple with minimal ingredients and packs in tons of flavor.
Recipe Step by Step
- Make the marinade in a large bowl by combining the avocado oil, lemon zest, rosemary, garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir this rosemary lemon chicken marinade with a fork to combine.
- Spatchcock the chicken by placing the whole chicken breast side down on your cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut along either side of the spine to remove the spine from the chicken. Flip the chicken over so it is now breast side up, place your palm on the breast bone in the center, then use medium pressure to push down on the breast and sides of the backbone until you hear a crack and are able to get the chicken flattened.
- Marinate the chicken by placing the butterflied chicken in the large bowl with the rosemary lemon chicken marinade. Use your hands to rub it all over the chicken on both sides. You can grill right away, or allow the chicken to marinate for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
- Heat your grill over medium heat (I heat my Traeger Grill at 400ºF). Clean and oil the grill grates. You can use a charcoal grill or gas grill, but keep in mind that cooking times may vary.
- Grill the chicken and lemons on your grill once your grill is fully heated. Grill the chicken breast side up, and the lemons cut side down. Cook until the chicken skin is crispy and the chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF. On my Traeger Grill, it takes about 45-55 minutes. No need to flip the chicken, but you can flip it halfway through cooking if you prefer.
- Carve and serve the butterflied chicken along with the grilled lemons. Squeeze out the grilled lemons on top of the breast meat and enjoy!
Expert Tips
Oven Roasted: You can make this in the oven by placing the marinated butterflied chicken and the cut lemons on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and roasting at 425ºF for 40-50 minutes until the skin is crispy and the chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Spatchcocking: Spatchcocking (butterflying) is really simple, but if it intimidates you, you can ask your butcher to do this for you. I love spatchcocking a chicken for a few reasons:
- it grills faster since it’s butterflied chicken.
- it’s more flavorful since you’re able to easily season and marinate all sides of the flattened chicken.
- it’s so much easier to carve after.
Chicken Spine: After removing the backbone, freeze the chicken spine and add it to your next batch of bone broth.
Equipment: I like to use kitchen scissors to prepare and butterfly the chicken, and then a sharp kitchen knife to carve after it is done roasting. Use what you feel comfortable with!
Storage Tips
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container refrigerated for at least 5 days, or frozen for at least 6 months.
Recipe FAQs
If you’ve never carved a chicken before, check out this How To Carve A Chicken post. It’s so easy, and not as intimidating as it seems.
Yes! This recipe chicken is just 1 net carb per serving! Serve it with low carb sides to keep the net carbs low.
More Grilling Recipes
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Rosemary Lemon Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken (Butterflied Chicken)
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (around 3 pounds)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 3 lemons, zested, then sliced in half
- 3 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
- Make the marinade in a large bowl by combining the avocado oil, lemon zest, rosemary, garlic, kosher salt and black pepper. Stir this rosemary lemon chicken marinade with a fork to combine.
- Spatchcock the chicken by placing the whole chicken breast side down on your cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut along either side of the spine to remove the spine from the chicken. Flip the chicken over so it is now breast side up, place your palm on the breast bone in the center, then use medium pressure to push down on the breast until you hear a crack and are able to get the chicken flattened.
- Marinate the chicken by placing the butterflied chicken in the large bowl with the marinade. Use your hands to rub it all over the chicken on both sides. You can grill right away, or allow the chicken to marinate for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
- Heat your grill over medium heat (I heat my Traeger Grill at 400ºF). Clean and oil the grill grates.
- Grill the chicken and lemons on your grill once your grill is fully heated. Grill the chicken breast side up, and the lemons cut side down. Cook until the chicken skin is crispy and the chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF. On my Traeger Grill it takes about 45-55 minutes. No need to flip the chicken, but you can flip it half way through cooking if you prefer.
- Rest the chicken on your cutting board for 10 minutes.
- Carve and serve the chicken along with the grilled lemons. Squeeze out the grilled lemons on top of the chicken. The lemon pulp gets thick and concentrated as it is grilled and loses a lot of its sourness. It's very delicious!
- Leftover grilled spatchcocked chicken will keep in an airtight container refrigerated for at least 5 days, or frozen for at least 6 months.
- See the Recipe Notes below for more tips, FAQ's and ingredient substitutions.
47 Comments on “Rosemary Lemon Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken (Butterflied Chicken)”
Wow this was incredible! I loosened the skin on the chicken and put some of the marinade directly on the meat. I didn’t realize my grill was on fire so my chicken got a little charred lol. I thought I might have ruined it but it ended up being soooo juicy and flavorful. Those grilled lemons really elevate the chicken. A make again meal for sure!
Hi Chelsea! I am so glad you liked this recipe! I’ve definitely had this experience with the extra charred chicken too, but love that it still turned out great!