A quick way to cook a BBQ spatchcock chicken with loads of flavour, using our Roast Chicken Rub packed full of fragrant spices, herbs and sumac.

Prep time: 10 mins (plus marinating in fridge overnight)

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the herb butter:

• 250g British unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 lemon (zested, reserve lemon for later)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)
• 2 tsp Ross & Ross Roast Chicken Rub
• Thyme (finely chopped)
• Parsley (finely chopped)

For the chicken:

• 1 whole free-range Chicken (approx. 2kg)
• Ross & Ross Roast Chicken Rub
• Sea salt 

Method

1. Make the herb butter by combining all of the ingredients. Then roll into a sausage shape in clingfilm and chill until firm.
2. To spatchcock the chicken, simply place the bird breast side down and using some scissors or a knife cut along one side of the backbone. Do the same on the other side of the backbone and remove it. Save for making stock at a later date. Then flip the chicken over and press hard between the breasts until it cracks and is all flat.
3. Rub all over with the Roast Chicken Rub. Leave in the fridge for four hours or overnight.
4. Take the herb butter, cut into discs and place under the skin of the chicken, ensuring all the legs and breasts are covered. Reserve some for cooking.
5. Season the top and bottom with salt. Leave out of the fridge for half an hour before cooking.
6. Light the BBQ. You will be cooking indirect away from the charcoal. The addition of wood chips would be great with this - we used beech.
7. Once the BBQ is hot, place the chicken on the grates bone side down and away from the direct heat of the charcoal. Add the wood chips. Have the legs closer to the hot coals. You might want to add a foil tray under the grates to catch the buttery juices. Close the lid of the BBQ.
8. Baste every 15 mins with the reserved herb butter.
9. You want to cook this nice and slow for about an hour. Check the juices run clear in the leg or until the bbq spatchcock chicken temperature reaches 75◦C using a temp probe in the thickest part of the leg.
10. If you want crispier skin, you can cook the chicken over the charcoal for the last 10 mins or so, being careful not to burn the skin or dry the chicken out.
11. Place in the foil drip tray, add any leftover butter and cover with foil to keep warm and rest for 15 mins.
12. Carve, season to your liking, squeeze over the reserved lemons and serve.

Check out our British BBQ Range for all of our BBQ oils, jams, salts and rubs! Make sure to also have a look at our array of BBQ hampers and BBQ kits-  the perfect gift for any BBQ fanatic!

If you liked this recipe, you will love our other BBQ recipes- including our recipe for BBQ Lamb Shoulder and our recipe for BBQ Flat Iron Steak!