Spatchcocked Chicken over Vegetable Plancha

Name: Spatchcocked Chicken over Vegetable Plancha
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 4–4.5 lb, spatchcocked; 3 Tbsp olive oil; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp dried oregano or za'atar; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 lemon, zested and juiced (zest in rub, juice for finish); 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise ½-inch thick; 1 large eggplant, sliced into rounds ½-inch thick; 2 red bell peppers, quartered; 2 red onions, cut into thick wedges; 2 Tbsp olive oil; — salt and black pepper

Whole chicken with backbone removed, rubbed in garlic-paprika-lemon paste and cooked flat so breast and thigh finish simultaneously. Served over a plancha of grilled zucchini, eggplant, red pepper, and red onion that catches all the drippings. Grill and oven methods both included.

MediterraneanServes 41h 15mentree

Servings4

Ingredients

Chicken & Rub

1 whole chicken, 4–4.5 lb, spatchcocked

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano or za'atar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 lemon, zested and juiced (zest in rub, juice for finish)

Vegetable Plancha

2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise ½-inch thick

1 large eggplant, sliced into rounds ½-inch thick

2 red bell peppers, quartered

2 red onions, cut into thick wedges

2 Tbsp olive oil

— salt and black pepper

Method

Steps

1
Spatchcock: flip chicken breast-side down. Cut along both sides of backbone with kitchen shears and remove it. Flip over and press firmly on breastbone until it cracks flat.
2
Mix olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and lemon zest into a paste. Rub all over chicken including under the skin. Marinate 1-4 hours.
3
Toss vegetables with 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4
Grill method: cook vegetables over direct high heat 3-4 minutes per side until charred and tender. Cook chicken skin-side up over indirect heat 35-40 minutes then finish skin-side down over direct heat 4-5 minutes.
5
Oven method: vegetables in roasting pan, chicken on rack above on skin-side up at 475F convection (set to 475F for actual 450F) for 45-50 minutes.
6
Rest 10 minutes. Carve and serve over the vegetable plancha. Squeeze lemon juice over everything.

Nutritionper serving · 1/4 of recipe mixed breast and thigh with vegetables skin on

480kcal

46gProtein

14gCarbs

26gFat

6gSat Fat

520mgSodium

Nutrition estimate based on USDA FoodData Central for whole roasted chicken (mixed breast and thigh, skin on), zucchini, eggplant, red bell pepper, and red onion. Protein is the highest per-serving figure in this recipe collection — 46g reflects the full mixed portion of a 4–4.5 lb bird divided four ways. Sat fat is notably lower than the bone-in thigh recipes despite higher total fat, because breast meat contributes more protein and less fat than thigh-only portions. Skin removed drops sat fat to 3g — braise-then-remove strategy applies here as well. Carbs are entirely from the vegetable plancha. Sodium is among the lowest in the collection — the rub has minimal added sodium.