Roasted chicken is one of my favourite meals to cook and to eat. The reason is that it is so super easy to put together, and you just place it in the oven and forget about it. It takes very little effort and gives you a huge reward -- sometimes you even have leftovers to use for many more meals. 

Spatchcocked chicken (which is basically a flattened or butterflied chicken) cooks much faster than a whole regular chicken. This is what I used for the recipe below, but you could also use a whole chicken or a mixture of your favourite chicken parts. 

See Also

Mexican Deviled Chicken

Curried Chicken with Peanuts and Peppers (Vegan Option)

Curried Chicken with Spinach and Carrots

Ingredients

• 1.5 tablespoons Sri Lankan curry powder (I used homemade powder from this recipe)
• 1.5 teaspoon ground Urfa Biber chile (Substitute your favourite chile powder and adjust amount to taste.)
• quarter teaspoon ground cinnamon
• one teaspoon turmeric powder
• half tablespoon ground sweet paprika (optional) 
• one heaping teaspoon granulated garlic 
• half teaspoon fine sea salt
• half teaspoon ground cumin
• one tablespoon olive oil
• one tablespoon of water
• one spatchcocked chicken weighing 1.75 kilos or 3.85 lbs. (learn to spatchcock chicken here) 

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

• Total Time: 60 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6

Preparation

1. If you are making your own curry powder from scratch prepare it first, otherwise just have it ready. Combine the curry powder with the remaining ingredients, stir until well combined. Taste and if needed adjust the seasoning as you see fit. Mix the water and oil into the spice mixture and stir until it is well combined, set aside. 

2. Heat the oven to 200°C or 400°F and prepare a large baking tray or sheet.

Place the spatchcocked chicken on top of the baking tray/sheet/dish and while the oven is warming up, rub the curry spice mixture all over the chicken. Try to gently pull on the skin and rub some of the spices directly onto the meat and underneath the skin. Flip the chicken over and rub the spice mixture all around the carcass. The goal is to coat or rub as much of the chicken meat as possible with the spice mixture. 

3. Place the baking dish in the centre of the oven and bake until the skin is crispy, the meat firm and cooked through -- you'll know because when you pierce the meat with a fork or knife the juices will come out clear instead of red. You should also keep basting the chicken with the juices/fat that will run off as it cooks, this will help the skin become crispy and keep the meat moist. Serve with your favourite side dishes, I served with mashed cauliflower and wilted spinach. 

 

NOTES ON ROASTING TIMES: A spatchcocked chicken will take less time to cook through than a regular chicken. Typically chicken is cooked until the juices run clear and an internal temperature reaches 165°F or 74°C when inserted into the thickest part of the meat, or the thigh and breasts. My chicken cooked in about 40 minutes. But since every oven (and bird size) is different you'll need to start checking it at around 35 minutes, it could take anywhere from 35-50 minutes to cook through, again it all depends on the size. When I cook chicken I use this chart as a guideline for cooking times.