Smoky buttermilk-marinated spatchcock chicken
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Smoky buttermilk-marinated spatchcock chicken
Removing the backbone from the chicken makes for a much speedier cook time on the barbecue.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (serving)
Calories
384Kcal
Fat
16gr
Saturates
41gr
Carbs
4gr
Sugars
4gr
Fibre
0gr
Protein
57gr
Salt
0.6gr
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst’s recipes
Ingredients
- 1 medium whole chicken (about 1.5kg)
- 300ml buttermilk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- a handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
- salad, to serve
Step by step
- First, spatchcock the chicken. Place it breast-side down on a board and use kitchen scissors to cut along both sides of the backbone and through the ribs, removing the backbone entirely. Flip it over and press down on the breastbone with your hand to flatten it out. Place the spatchcock chicken in a large shallow dish and score the legs and breasts a few times to allow the marinade to penetrate.
- Whisk together the buttermilk, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika and thyme until combined, then season well. Pour this marinade over the chicken and massage it into the bird, turning a few times to ensure it is well-coated. Cover and chill for a minimum of 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Heat the barbecue for indirect cooking (coals heaped to one side – see tip on page 14 for more information). Once the coals are white, place the spatchcock chicken over the coals, breast-side down, and cook for 6-8 minutes until just starting to char. Turn and continue to cook over the direct heat for 5 minutes. Move the chicken away from the direct coals and continue to cook, covered, for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through. Remove to a board, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
