This insanely juicy Spatchcocked Grilled Lemon Chicken recipe uses a whole lemon (peel and all!) to make the most flavorful, zesty marinade. The chicken cooks low and slow over indirect heat on the grill and comes out perfectly cooked, every time!
Say goodbye to dry, boring chicken and make this for your next backyard BBQ or summer dinner party!
Table of Contents
What’s a Spatchcock Chicken? Here’s Why I Love this Cooking Method
Unfamiliar with spatchcocking? It’s a fancy term for a very simple cooking method.
The backbone of the chicken is removed prior to cooking using a good pair of kitchen shears. Doing so causes the bird to lay flat and thus everything cooks at the same rate!
This is the same method I use for my pollo asado recipe and my ultra-crispy roast chicken, and let me tell you–there’s no going back to cooking a chicken any other way after this! Not only does the chicken cook faster and more evenly, but it stays so juicy and never dries out.
Your chicken also ends up with more flavor because once the chicken is flat, it’s easier to season all over and get the marinade into all the nooks and crannies.
Helpful Cooking Tools
Key Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Whole chicken. Look for a chicken that’s between 4-5 lbs. If the chicken is larger, you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
- Lemon. Make sure to wash the outside of the lemon really well as grocery stores often wax the outside of the lemons so they look prettier, longer. Make sure the lemon you’re using doesn’t have a really thick pith.
- Garlic. I always use fresh garlic cloves vs jarred minced garlic.
- Dijon mustard. Dijon adds a hint of piquant flavor.
- Herbs. The oregano and dill go so well with the lemon, but you could swap in basil, tarragon, chives, or pretty much any other tender green herb.
- Olive oil. You don’t need any fancy olive oil here, just whatever you like to cook with.
- Aleppo pepper. I like the hint of spice that aleppo adds, but you could swap in crushed red pepper flakes or any other dried chile flake.
An Overview of the Cooking Proces
- Spatchcock the chicken. Removing the backbone and pressing the bird flat means it’ll cook much more evenly on the grill!
Jenny’s Tip: I highly, HIGHLY recommend investing in a heavy duty pair of poultry shears. It makes the spatchcocking process so much easier and so much safer.
- Make the marinade. You really will need a high-powered blender or food processor here to ensure that you can break down all the lemon into a fairly smooth marinade.
- Marinate the chicken. Because of the high concentration of lemon in the marinade, I don’t recommend marinating the chicken for more than 12 hours. Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours.
- Grill the chicken. We’re embracing zone cooking on the grill here! By keeping the chicken off direct heat for the majority of time, you save yourself from flare ups and burning the chicken. You finish the chicken over direct heat to get the skin nice and golden brown.
How to Spatchcock a Chicken (+ Video Tutorial)
- Place the chicken on a large cutting board and pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Arrange the chicken breast-side down on the cutting board with the legs facing towards you.
- Using good-quality kitchen shears, cut along one side of the chicken spine, separating it from the ribs. Be sure to cut as close to the spine as you can so that you do not end up discarding any more of the chicken meat than necessary. Repeat on the other side of the spine.
- Flip the chicken so that the breasts face upward and the chicken legs face outward. Using the palm of your hands, press along the breast bone. You will hear a small crack. This should flatten the chicken completely.
What to Serve with Spatchcocked Grilled Lemon Chicken
This recipe for spatchcocked grilled lemon chicken is what end-of-summer dreams are made of! I plan to serve this on labor day weekend alongside some of my favorite summer side dishes:
- Little Gem Caesar Salad
- Fattoush Salad
- Lemon-Dill Potato Salad
- Dressed up Baked Beans
- Roasted Tomato Orzo
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Citrus Chicken Recipes to Try
Mojo Grilled Chicken Legs
Easy Chicken Piccata
Whole Orzo Chicken Soup
Creamy Lemon & Tarragon Chicken
Lemon Herb Chicken Thighs
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Juicy Spatchcocked Grilled Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 – 4-5 lb whole chicken, giblets/neck removed from cavity
- 1 whole lemon
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon Dijon
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon aleppo pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped dill
- 1/4 cup oregano leaves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the marinade. Using a sharp knife, cut the lemon into quarters and remove any visible seeds. Try to use a lemon that doesn’t have a super thick white pith. After removing the seeds, add the whole lemon quarters to a food processor with the olive oil, garlic, dijon, vinegar, aleppo, dill, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend until the mixture is mostly smooth, without any large chunks.
- Spatchcock the chicken. Remove the chicken from its packaging and remove any giblets or the neck from the cavity and discard. Pat the chicken dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Lay the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board and use heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut along one side of the spine, separating it from the ribs. Be sure to cut as close to the spine as you can so that you do not end up discarding any more of the meat than necessary. Repeat on the other side of the spine. Flip the chicken so that the breasts face upward and the legs face outward. Using the palm of your hands, press along the breast bone. You should hear a small crack and the bird should lay flat. Transfer the chicken to a large baking dish.
- Marinate the chicken. Pour the marinade over the chicken and use your hands to evenly spread it all over, including the underside, until it’s evenly coated. Transfer to the fridge uncovered for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours. Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before you plan to cook it so it can come up to room temperature. Season the outside of the chicken with extra salt and pepper.
- Prep and preheat the grill. Preheat a grill to medium heat, using only half the burners. Clean the grates of any debris and lightly grease them. Once the oven reaches 400 F, Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off any excess. Place the chicken breast-side up on the unlit side of the grill as close to the fire as possible without being directly over it.
- Grill the chicken. Close the lid and grill in 15 minute increments, rotating the chicken 180 degrees each time. Grill for 1 hour or until the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 F on a meat thermometer. Flip the chicken skin-side down over the direct heat for 3-5 minutes to crisp up the skin. Remove the chicken from the grill and squeeze more fresh lemon juice over the top. Let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition
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