Smoked Spatchcock Chicken

Spatchcock chicken is usually my go-to way to preparing a whole chicken. It always cooks so nice and even and you get delicious, juicy chicken meat with the most smoked flavor throughout. Grilled spatchcock chicken is fantastic but I also want to introduce you to smoked spatchcock chicken!

Spatchcock Chicken on a Smoker

You may already know what is spatchcock chicken but in case you don’t, I’ll tell you! Spatchcock chicken is simply butterflied whole chicken. The term “spatchcock” refers to the method of preparation when you remove the backbone and open the chicken flat.

It’s a great way to cook the whole chicken because you get the seasoning flavors all over the chicken, inside and out. Chicken also cooks nice and even so you get juicy and tender meat.

I love to smoke and grill this chicken but there are some pros and cons to both methods. When you grill spatchcocked chicken, you do get beautiful crispy skin that’s simply irresistible. But, with smoked spatchcock chicken, you don’t just get the smoke flavor infused into the meat, you can use brown sugar in the dry rub.

I am a sucker for a dry rub with a little sweetness in it because it creates a great flavor balance between savory, salty, and spicy ingredients. When grilling chicken, you can’t add sugar because it burns and it burns fast. So when you want to use seasoning with sugar and amazing smoke flavor throughout, smoking is the way to go!

Ingredients You Need:

Whole chicken – you will be a whole chicken that is about 4 lbs.

Oil – use oil that has a high smoke point and not an overpowering flavor. Stick to canola, vegetable, or avocado oil.

Butter – unsalted butter rubbed under the skin on the chicken breasts will make them juicy and flavorful. Make sure to soften it first.

Seasoning – you will need a simple mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ground mustard, brown sugar, and dried herbs like sage and thyme.

Equipment you should have:

Depending on the kind of smoker you have, consider having a drip pan. For a vertical water smoker, you don’t need to worry about a drip pan because there will be a water pan underneath the grill grate. For electric smoker, kamodo smoker, offset, and pallet smokers, you will need to use a drip pan undeath the grill grate. This will help with an easy clean up.

You also need an instant read digital meat thermometer. It’s best if you have a leave-in thermometer that you can insert and leave in the chicken while it cooks. This will limit the times you open the grill and poke the chicken.

The easiest way to take the backbone out will be by using kitchen shears. They are nice and tough and cut through the bone no problem.

How to Spatchcock a Chicken

First – Remove the whole chicken from the packaging and remove any giblets.

TIP: Save the giblets (and the backbone) for homemade chicken stock, if you’d like. (I put them into a zip-lock freezer bag and freeze them until I need to make stock. By that time, I have 2-3 backbones, if not more.)

Next – cut off the excess fat that is often found at the bottom of the chicken, near the tail. Place the chicken breast down on a large cutting board. Now, all you need is kitchen shears to remove the backbone.

Then – Using the kitchen shears, cut along the spine on one side, all along the backbone, and then on the other side of the backbone. Remove the backbone and flip the chicken breast side up.

Finally – Using the bottom part of the palm of your hand, put a lot of pressure in the center, right between the two breasts. Push down to flatten the breast plate until you hear a small crack. The chicken is now ready for a rub down and cooking!

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How To Smoke Spatchcock Chicken

To prepare the rub – simply combine all the seasoning in a small bowl and mix well. Set a teaspoon or so of the rub to mix with the butter.

Butter chicken breast– gently separate the skin away from the breast meat by running your hand underneath the skin. Add some butter between the skin and the breast meat and spread it around as evenly as you can.

To rub the chicken – Rub the whole chicken with oil all over. Sprinkle seasoning mix all over, in an even layer. Don’t rub but pat it on instead.

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Prepare the grill – Set a drip pan under the grill grate if needed and prepare the smoker to 225°. Depending on the smoker, try to maintain temperature between 225° and 250°.

Smoke the chicken – insert the leave-in meat thermometer probe into the breast meat, into the thickest part, along the bone but not quite touching the bone. Place chicken on the smoker grate breast up and close the lid. Smoke chicken for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the chicken and smoker temperature. Make sure to track the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°.

Rest – Take chicken off the smoker and let it rest on the cutting board for 5-10 minutes before serving.

To Crisp Up The Skin

Note that the skin on smoked spatchcock chicken will not be as crispy as with the grilled one. If you want to crisp up the skin a little bit, you can use the grill or a broiler. If your grill/smoker allows it, preheat it on medium-high and place the smoked chicken skin side down just for a minute of so. Don’t too it too long or the seasoning will burn.

You can also place smoked chicken under the broiler for a minute of so. Again, watch it so the seasoning doesn’t burn.

What to Serve with Spatchcock Chicken

Mashed potatoes are always my go-to comforting side dish. You can also throw on some baker potatoes onto the smoker to cook at the same time. If space permits, make some smoked mac and cheese too!

You can also serve any of your favorite vegetables, and bbq sides with this chicken as well. Some easy grilled vegetables include grilled zucchini and grilled broccoli.

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