Zesty Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken

Well, baby Cooper is here and man is the time flying by. I'm going write a post about Coop at some point, but I'm waiting to get some of the professional pictures we got taken.

In the mean time, Brian and I are getting used to this new life as parents. The first two weeks flew by in a flurry of feedings, doctors appointments and long nights. We were lucky that Brian could be home for those two weeks, and I'm off until this summer. We're also super lucky to have such great friends and family that live in Chicago. We've had all sorts of delicious meals courtesy of our friends, which has made our lives so much easier.

One of these meals (thanks Jason and Jess!!) was a fantastic salad our friends brought over. The salad itself was amazing, but the dressing blew my mind. They kindly shared the recipe with me, and the variations they made to the dressing, which I've captured below. I've used the dressing to marinade the chicken recipe below. I'll use it again on all sorts of chicken recipes. It was a perfect marinade!

Zesty Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken
makes 3-4 servings

1 whole chicken (spatchcocked)
1 cup Oregano Dressing (modified recipe below)
2 tbsp salt
8-10 red potatoes (sliced into 1/4 inch discs)
4 shallots (sliced into discs)
2 tbsp olive oil

When you are buying a whole chicken, ask the butcher to spatchcock it for you. The butcher will remove the backbone for you so you can lay the chicken flat to cook it. Make sure you ask to keep the backbone so you can make stock with it later! If you're feeling adventurous and want to spatchcock it yourself, here is a video on how to do so. 

4 hours before you want to serve the chicken, get it marinading. In a large bowl or baking dish, lay out chicken and pour 1 cup of the oregano dressing over the chicken. Toss the chicken around to make sure it is all coated. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Remove chicken from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Add potatoes and shallots to baking sheet and coat in olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread out into an even layer.

Add a wire rack on top of the potatoes and lay the chicken, skin side up, on the rack. Pour any remaining marinade over the chicken. Salt the chicken with the remaining 2 tbsp of salt. 

Pop into the oven for 55 minutes, until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165 degrees. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Oregano Dressing (modified from Smitten Kitchen)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 lemon (juice)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp course Dijon mustard
1 tbsp peperoncini liquid
1 tsp Worcestershire

This is actually a recipe for salad dressing, but I loved it so, so much, that I wanted to use it as a marinade. 

Start by chopping the garlic and combining with the oregano, salt and ground pepper. Use the side of a knife to make a grainy herb paste. Alternately, it could be made using a mortar and pestle. Transfer the paste to a jar with a lid.  Add the lemon juice and vinegar. Put on the lid and give it a good shake to dissolve the salt, then add the oil and shake again until well combined. Voila, one of the most delicious dressings I've ever had.