Herb Broiled Chicken Recipe

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
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Updated on 12/13/22
Broiled chicken
istetiana/Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Broiling is a high-heat cooking method that cooks very quickly, which isn't always a good technique for cooking a whole chicken, because, with chicken, it's important to cook it all the way through.

The workaround is to start with a smaller bird called (totally unsurprisingly) a "broiler," which typically weighs around two to three pounds and will feed two people each.

And then, we need to take it apart some. The goal is to flatten it out, so that it cooks quickly on one side, and then the other. A common technique is called spatchcocking, which involves removing the backbone (which can be done using a pair of kitchen shears) and then splitting the breastbone cartilage so that it will lie flat. This technique is also sometimes called "butterflying."

You can ask your butcher to do it for you, if it isn't already sold that way. Make sure the butcher wraps up the backbone for you because (1) you're paying for it anyway, and (2) it's great for making gravy or chicken stock.

Sometimes you'll get a chicken that's been split into two separate halves, and that's fine too. You can also broil quartered chickens or chicken parts.

Spatchcocking allows you to generously season both the inside and outside of the chicken, which is exactly what we'll do in this recipe.

By the way, we happen to be broiling our chicken in this recipe, but a spatchcocked chicken could also be cooked on the grill.

Ingredients

  • 2 (2 1/2- to- 3 pound) broiler chickens, halved or spatchcocked

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat the broiler.​

  2. Brush the inside and outside of the chicken halves with the melted butter. Rub the inside and outside of the chicken halves with the fresh herbs, then season to taste with the kosher salt and black pepper.​

  3. Place the chicken halves under the broiler, skin-side down, about 8 inches away from the heat source. (In other words, since the chicken is under the broiler, the skin should be facing away from the heat.) Broil for 30 minutes or until the chickens are nicely browned. They should be halfway cooked at this point.​

  4. Turn over and broil for another 20 minutes or until the skin is nicely browned but not burnt, and the chickens are completely cooked through.

  5. Remove from heat, cover with foil and let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Glass Bakeware Warning

Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
146 Calories
11g Fat
0g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 146
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 15%
Saturated Fat 5g 26%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 222mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 2mg 12%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 99mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)