Honey Soy Glazed Spatchcock Chicken

This Honey-Soy Glazed Spatchcock Chicken is juicy, savory, crispy, and utterly

delicious. The umami-packed sauce is everything! I’ll show you the foolproof way of making the perfect whole chicken at home. It makes a perfect centerpiece for Sunday dinners and the holidays.

Honey Soy Glazed Spatchcock Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (4-lb) whole chicken (1.8 kg without giblets; No larger than 5 lbs (2.3 kg; preferably air-chilled)

Dry Brining

• 3 tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt) (¾ tsp per pound)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (¼ tsp per pound; I use 16-mesh coarse ground black pepper)

Aromatics

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil (roasted) (I used Kikkoman Sesame Oil)
• 1 knob ginger (about 1 inch)
• 1 clove garlic

Honey Soy Glaze

• ¼ cup soy sauce (I used Kikkoman Gluten Free Tamari Soy Sauce)
• ¼ cup sake
• ¼ cup mirin
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ½ Tbsp sugar

Garnish (optional)

• Sage
• Pomegranate
• Cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.
   

[The Day Before Roasting]

1. In a small bowl, combine salt and pepper.

2. Place the chicken breast-side down with the tail side facing towards you on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears*, remove the backbone of the chicken by cutting along both sides of the spine (Cut closely to the spine so that you do not remove any excess meat). *We have tried various kitchen shears and this Kuhn Rikon is the victor

3. Open the rib cage, trim off any fat, and clean up inside the chicken.

4. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels on both sides.

5. Place breast side up. Using the heel of your hands, flatten the chicken by pressing down firmly on the chicken’s breastbone until you hear a crack. The legs and breasts should lay completely flat so all parts of the chicken is roasted evenly.

6. Carefully separate the skin from the breasts (and thighs, if you like), by gently lifting the skin.

7. Rub the seasoning under the skin of chicken breasts (and thighs).

8. Sprinkle the seasoning on all sides and rub it to distribute the seasoning. I use this Maraca Sifter for even sprinkling.

9. Transfer to a wire rack set in a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and position chicken so that breasts are aligned with the center of the baking sheet. Store the chicken, uncovered, at the bottom shelf of your refrigerator, for at least 12 hours or up to a full day, which allows the skin to dry out slightly and crisp up better during roasting. Be sure it is not touching other fridge items.

To Make the Honey Soy Glaze

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the ingredients for Honey Soy Glaze. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat.

2. When boiling, turn heat to low to maintain a simmer and reduce the sauce in half, about 25 minutes. You can leave out the sauce overnight at the kitchen counter or refrigerate if you live in a humid environment.

[The Day of Roasting]

1. Preheat the convection oven, with a rack in the upper-middle position, to 450°F (232°C). Convection cooking uses a fan to evenly distribute hot air throughout the oven and promotes more even browning. If you don’t have the convection oven, preheat to 475ºF (246ºC).

2. Peel and grate the ginger. You will need 1 tsp grated ginger. In a small bowl, combine sesame oil, grated ginger, and crushed garlic from one clove.
3. Rub the sesame oil mixture all over the chicken.
4. Rub the sesame oil mixture under the skin.
5. Insert the oven meat probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast close to the bone. Optionally, you can tuck wing tips under the chicken so they don't burn (I skipped).
6. Set the target temperature of the meat probe* to 150°F (66°C). Roast chicken at 450°F (232°C; convection oven), for total 40-45 minutes. Roughly 10 minutes before the chicken is done, when the probe thermometer registers at 135ºF (57ºC), pull out the baking sheet and glaze the sauce. *If your oven doesn’t come with the probe function, we highly recommend this Thermoworks Chef’s Alarm for cooking.
7. While the chicken is being roasted, prepare a brush and the Honey Soy Glaze. If you kept it in the refrigerator, bring back to room temperature.
8. As the chicken approaches doneness, around 135ºF (57ºC), pull out the baking sheet and quickly apply Honey Soy Glaze so you don’t lose the heat.
9. Continue to roast chicken until the thickest part of the breast close to bone registers 150°F (66°C) on the oven meat probe or on an instant-read thermometer. The temperature of the chicken will increase as it rests as much as 5-10ºF, so you do not want to remove the chicken any later, or the chicken breast will begin to dry out.
10. Remove chicken from oven, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest 10 minutes before carving. This allows the chicken to keep 150°F (66°C) for 3 minutes (equivalent to the safe internal temperature for cooked chicken 165ºF (74ºC) according to the UDSA) and the juices in the chicken to distribute themselves more evenly throughout the meat, resulting in juicier meat.
11. Transfer to a serving platter or a cutting board and decorate the chicken with garnish (optional). Remove the legs (cutting the drumsticks from the thighs, if desired), then remove the entire chicken breasts and carve at a slight angle against the grain of the meat to create tender cuts of meat.

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