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Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

January 12, 2024

A simple spice rub from the pantry and a bed of hearty, bacon-y shredded Brussels sprouts make our spatchcocked roast chicken recipe easy and SO good.

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spatchcocked roast chicken on top of shredded Brussels sprouts on a serving platter

One Trusty Cast Iron Skillet and a Generous Bit of Bacon Make This Spatchcocked Roast Chicken Totally Unbeatable.

The sight of a perfectly golden brown, crispy roast chicken coming out of the oven is enough to make us dizzy with glee. Rubbed with a few spices and bacon drippings for good measure—yes, you read that right! We rub the chicken with bacon fat—this one-skillet roast chicken recipe is pure heaven in a pan. Shaved Brussels sprouts make a wintery, cruciferous bed for all that golden crispy chicken. Those sweet and slightly bitter tiny edible buds soak up a heady mixture of chicken fat and bacon fat as they roast beneath the bird, and when you pull the skillet out of the oven, prepare yourself for some serious dinnertime bliss. Just add a loaf of good bread—any kind you love—for sopping up all of those divine drippings.

spatchcocked whole chicken on parchment paper surrounded by bowls of shaved Brussels sprouts, bacon and spices

Spatchcocked Bird = Perfect Roast Chicken.

We’re breaking out all the tricks to get crispy skin and tender, juicy meat from this super simple whole oven-roasted chicken recipe. The real key to this cast iron roast chicken recipe is in the prep! By spatchcocking the chicken—also known as butterflied chicken—before roasting it in the oven, we create more surface area. Spatchcocking the bird simply means removing the chicken’s backbone and pressing down to make the carcass lay flat. And viola! More surface area has been achieved! Why would you want that? Two big reasons—faster cooking time, and more evenly cooked chicken, too. You can use a good pair of kitchen shears to spatchcock the whole chicken yourself (here’s how to spatchcock a chicken) or you can ask the butcher at the grocery store to do it for you. If you’re new to spatchcocking, it may feel like there’s a slight learning curve, but we’ll walk you through in the post linked above! And once you’ve got the hang of it, you’ll be set up for a lifetime of perfectly roast chicken dinners. A worthwhile investment of time, we’d say!

cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate and a bowl of reserved bacon grease
shaved brussel sprouts in a cast iron pan

The 4 Basic Things You’ll Need To Make This Easy, Gorgeous Whole Roasted Chicken Dinner

A simple, pantry-focused roast chicken rub, some bacon (OK, more than a little bacon)

  • A whole chicken, spatchcocked.

  • Bacon.

  • Brussels sprouts. You can buy shaved Brussels sprouts at the grocery store, or you can shave them yourself with a mandoline slicer or your food processor fitted with the shredding attachment.

  • Spices from the pantry. Nothing too crazy! We bet you’ve got these around already. Salt and pepper, of course. Also paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar and ground mustard powder.

spatchcocked chicken on top of shaved Brussel sprouts in a cast iron skillet
spatchcocked roast chicken on top of shaved brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet

Let’s Get Down to Business: How To Roast a Chicken

There are a million things to love about this whole roasted chicken recipe. The chicken is beautiful—far more beautiful and inviting than any weeknight-friendly recipe has a right to be. The skin is addictively crisp and rich and flavorful. The spice rub that coats it is pungent but not overpowering, with a hint of smoke from the bacon drippings. And, because it’s spatchcocked, it’s a bit faster than a traditional whole roast chicken—when it’s spatchcocked, your roast chicken cooking time is just about an hour (sometimes a bit under an hour) at 400° F. As always, the best way to check for doneness is to use an instant read thermometer—the done temp for whole roast chicken is 165°F. You’ll want to see that number when you insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken’s thigh or breast, taking care not to hit bone.

  1. Cook the bacon until it’s crispy in the cast iron skillet (yep, the same one you’ll use to roast the chicken).

  2. Spoon about two tablespoons of the bacon fat into a bowl (to rub on the chicken). Move the bacon to a towel-lined plate. Leave a good amount (about 2 more tablespoons) in the pan, but discard any amount in access. You just want the yummy flavor for the sprouts!

  3. Make a bed of Brussels sprouts (giving the sprouts a little turn in the bacon grease) and then top the sprouts with the spatchcocked chicken. Drizzle the chicken with the bacon fat that you set aside.

  4. Stir together all of the spices for the spice rub, and rub it all over the bacon-y chicken.

  5. Roast the chicken! About an hour at 400° F, but we recommend that you start checking the internal temperature of the chicken after about 50 minutes.

spatchcocked roast chicken on top of shaved brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet
sliced spatchcocked roast chicken on top of shaved brussels sprouts on a serving platter

How To Store Your Leftover Roast Chicken (If You Have Any!)

If you have any leftover chicken, store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. If you really have a lot of leftovers, you could take the chicken off the bone and freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. And of course, you can (and should!) freeze the chicken carcass for making chicken stock! The chicken carcass will keep in the freezer for up to three months as well.

sliced spatchcocked roast chicken on top of shaved brussels sprouts on a serving platter
sliced spatchcocked roast chicken on top of shaved brussels sprouts on a serving platter

Tools You’ll Need:

More Whole Roast Chicken Recipes to Try

sliced spatchcocked roast chicken on top of shaved brussels sprouts on a serving platter

An Iconic Dinner, Any Day of the Week

Honestly, there’s no more iconic, classic meal than roast chicken and this one is as simple as can be. Give it a try and let us know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  15 min
  • Cook Time:  1 hr 10 min
  • Calories:  928

Ingredients

  • 12 oz bacon, cut into one inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, shredded
  • 1 (4-5 lb) whole chicken, spatchcocked
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground mustard

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
  2. In a large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, about 7 minutes. Turn off heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in a small bowl and leave the remaining (about 2-3 tablespoons) fat in the pan, allowing it to cool slightly. If your bacon was extra fatty, you can discard some of the rendered fat.
  3. Add the shredded Brussels sprouts to the skillet and toss with the bacon drippings.
  4. Place the spatchcocked chicken on top of the Brussels sprouts (skin side up) in the pan. Generously coat both sides of the chicken with the reserved bacon drippings.
  5. In a small bowl mix together the paprika, garlic powder, salt, brown sugar, pepper and ground mustard. Coat the chicken on both sides with the spice mixture.
  6. Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh. Remove meat from bird or quarter the bird and serve on-the-bone alongside braised Brussels sprouts sprinkled with the cooked bacon. With crusty bread for soaking up the drippings.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 928
  • Protein 111 g
  • Carbohydrates 9 g
  • Total Fat 46 g
  • Dietary Fiber 3 g
  • Cholesterol 332 mg
  • sodium 2369 mg
  • Total Sugars 2 g

Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Bacon

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Deborah

    After 60 minutes in a 400° oven are the shredded brussel sprouts eatable?

    Yep! Hope you enjoy!

  • Sydney

    Would this work with a dutch oven instead of cast iron skillet?

    Likely yes! The chicken might take a bit longer to get crispy, but it should work just fine.

  • Amber

    Omg this chicken was amazing! The brushle sprouts were so delicious with all the chicken drippings in it! Definitely a big hit and can't wait to make it again!

    We love the flavor the chicken drippings give the Brussels! Glad you enjoyed it Amber!

  • Diana

    So easy to prepare! Flavorful and moist.

    So glad you liked it!!