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photo showing a spice encrusted smoked spatchcock chicken
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Smoked Spatchcock Chicken

Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword smoked chicken, spatchcock chicken
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

For the dry rub:

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (coconut sugar for paleo)
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the chicken:

  • 4 pound whole chicken
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Mix together the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Prepare your smoker for indirect heat according to smoker instructions, using hickory, pecan, maple, apple or cherry wood. Set it to 225 °F (107 °C).
  • If your chicken comes with giblets, remove them and discard them or use for stock.
  • Place the chicken, breast side down, on a large cutting board. The backbone is what's on top, running down the middle of the chicken. Use kitchen shears to cut along one side of the backbone, from the tail to the neck.
  • Repeat on the other side and remove the backbone. Discard or use it for broth. Cut away any other unsavory bits (like red blobs) that are just hanging off that you won’t be eating.
  • Use a sharp knife to cut through the tough cartilage that's right in the middle of the breastbone. This will allow the chicken to lay flat.
  • Flip the chicken breast side up and firmly press down using the heel of your palm to flatten the chicken. You should hear a crack. Evenly turn out the legs to the sides. The chicken should be lying totally flat.
  • Tuck the wing tips behind the shoulders, which will prevent burning.
  • Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, which will help the skin crisp up.
  • Rub the chicken, front and back, and in between the skin and breast/leg/thigh meat, with olive oil. This will help the rub stick.
  • Reserve about half (you can eyeball it) of the rub for the top of the chicken, which you’ll rub on last. Then rub the chicken with the other half of the dry rub in all the same spots you just oiled, starting off with the spots between the skin and meat. You can also add a bit to the bottom of the chicken (where it’s cut open), but only the spots that you’ll be eating. Not the bony bits.
  • Now do the top of the chicken with the other half of the rub. The point of doing the top of the chicken last is so that the rub doesn’t lump together while handling the chicken.
  • Place the chicken, breast-side up, on the preheated smoker over indirect heat. Make sure it's as flat as you can get it.
  • Smoke for 45 minutes and then increase the temp to 425 °F (218 C). Don't remove the chicken while the temp is increasing, and there’s no need to flip it.
  • Smoke for another 40-50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the breast and thigh reaches an internal temp of 165 °F (74° C). It's important to smoke to temperature rather than time.
  • Remove the chicken from the smoker and let rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes before slicing. This prevents the juices from running out when slicing.
  • Let leftovers cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

It's important to cook to temperature and not time! The exact time needed to smoke a chicken will vary widely depending on many factors.