Juicy and tender Mexican roasted spatchcock chicken. Loaded with bold chili and lime flavours. It is low-carb , gluten-free and utterly delicious.
Many of my friends are intimidated by a roasted chicken. No idea why as roasted chicken is one of the easiest and effortless dinner recipe that I can think of. I love making roasted chicken and I made a lot before but this is my first time making a Mexican roasted spatchcock chicken.
How to make Mexican roasted spatchcock chicken?
I know that word spatchcock may sound new and strange and you may think it requires a special skills, but no, it does not. To spatchcock a chicken basically means removing the backbone of your bird and flatten it which allows the chicken to cook faster. This is it, no magic here 🙂
And yes if your bird is big or you do not have enough time, spatchocking your chicken will help. I think it will be my go to method from now on.
Tips to spatchock chicken:
- Dry chicken with a paper towel.
- Use a large chopping board so you have enough space for the whole bird.
- Use proper meat scissors and watch your fingers while cutting.
- The backbone is obviously at the back :), and you need to cut on both sides to remove the back bone.
- Turn chicken with breasts on top and press hard to the chicken flatten.
How to make Mexican marinade?
First you need to rehydrate chilis by placing them in a bowl with hot water. It will take about 20-30 min to rehydrate chilis. After this time pour away water and remove stems and seeds from chilis and place them into a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until you get a paste.
How to add marinade on the chicken?
Make sure chicken is dry. Next make small incisions on breasts, legs and wings.
Using your hands, add some marinade under the skin and massage the rest on top the chicken. Let the chicken to marinade for at least 6 hours or ideally overnight. Of course this is not obligatory to marinade chicken for that long, but it will really intensify the flavour.
How to cook Mexican roasted spatchcock chicken?
Please notice, that cooking time depends on the weight and size of the chicken. Spatchcocking chicken speeds up the cooking process but make sure your chicken is cooked. I always recommend using a meat thermometer for the best results.
1.Preheat your oven to 200C.
2.Get a baking tray and place a baking rack or chopped vegetables on the tray. Place chicken on top and cover it tightly with kitchen foil.
3. Roast your chicken for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
4. After this time remove the foil and roast chicken for another 20 minutes. ( Do not bin the foil).
5. When chicken is ready, take it out from an oven and cover it with foil. Let chicken rest for about 20 minutes. It will enhance juiciness.
6. When chicken rested, slice it and serve it with your favourite sides. I love serving chicken with crushed potatoes with dill and garlic or potato bake with sour cream and garlic.
What does Mexican roasted spatchcock chicken taste like?
OK, we know what spatchcock is so now we can move to flavour! The flavour in this chicken is bold and beautiful – it is Mexican flavour!
The marinade gave a tangy, spicy and sweet flavour to the meat and it was irresistible. I want to point out that the longer you marinade your chicken, the better, ideally leaving it it in the fridge overnight. The results will be spectacular.
If you follow the above steps, you will end up with a juicy, tender and wonderful chicken.
My recipe for Mexican roasted spatchcock chicken is easy and will give you the best results. It is a perfect dinner idea for people who are on a low carb diet, diabetic or just enjoy healthy and gluten-free food. Hey meat lovers out there, you need to make it!
If you are looking for more roasted chicken recipes, I can recommend you the following:
Curried yoghurt roasted chicken
I hope you will make my recipe and if you do, please leave a comment below and let me know your feedback. You can also find me on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Gab and Gettr. Please say hi and do not forget to tag me in if you make my recipe. I love seeing your creations.
Recipe source – my own.
Disfruta la comida!
Ingredients
Instructions
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IMPORTANT: for the best results, adjust time to the size of the chicken you have.
My chicken was 2.3kg and I cooked it for 1hour and 30 minutes plus resting time 20 min.
For smaller chicken, you will need to adjust roasting time. Resting time is till recommended as 20 minutes.
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Place ancho and pasilla chilis in a medium bowl and pour over hot water until chilis are fully submerged. Leave it for 20 minutes until chilis are fully hydrated.
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Prepare chicken. Dry chicken with paper towel.
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Place chicken on a large chopping board or a baking tray, breasts down.
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Using sharp meat scissors, carefully remove backbone from the chicken by cutting chicken on both sided on the backbone.
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Turn the chicken over, breasts up and gently put pressure on chicken breasts so the chicken corps flatten.
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Prepare marinade. Into a small food processor add lime juice, vegetable oil, tomato puree, rehydrated chilis (stems removed) and the remaining spices. Pulse until all the ingredients form a paste.
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Make sure chicken is dry and gently make small incisions in the chicken skin. I made incisions on chicken breasts, wings and legs. Spread the paste on the chicken skin. Also add some paste under the skin to directly flavour the meat. I just used my hands for this step as it is easier.
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For the best result I would strongly encourage you to leave marinated chicken in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight. If you do not have time, it is ok to roast chicken without the marinating time but the results may differ.
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When you are ready to roast your chicken, preheat your oven to 200°C.
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Place chicken on a roasting rack or if you do not have one, you can cut up some carrot, onions or potatoes and place chicken on the veg. I would not place chicken directly on a roasting tin as the air needs to circulate and cook meat evenly.
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Cover chicken tightly with aluminium foil, make sure the air can not escape on the sides.
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Transfer chicken in the oven and roast for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
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After this time, take chicken out from the oven and remove foil. Do not bin it, you will need it later.
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Place chicken back to the oven and roast it for another 20 min until skin turns golden brown.
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Remove chicken from the oven and cover it tightly with aluminium foil. Let the chicken rest for another 20 minutes. This step is important as it allows to maintain maximum juiciness in the chicken.
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After 20 min, slice chicken and serve it with potatoes or salad.