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Photograph of Roast Spatchcock Chicken and Gravy with New Potatoes Cooked in Chicken Stock

How to make Roast Spatchcock Chicken and Gravy with New Potatoes Cooked in Chicken Stock

Roast Spatchcock Chicken and Gravy with New Potatoes Cooked in Chicken Stock is a super quick, easy and incredibly delicious way to prepare a speedy roast chicken that is both full of nutrients and full of flavour.

Serves 3 - 4

Course Dinner, Lunch, Supper
Keyword chicken, chicken stock, dried thyme, gravy, new potatoes, spatchcock
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Author Susan

Ingredients

Chicken –

  • medium sized chicken around 1.9kg, at room temperature
  • 1 onion, peeled and sliced into 8 wedges
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • grinding of sea salt
  • grinding of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Potatoes –

  • 25g unsalted butter, to grease the baking dish
  • 800g new potatoes
  • 500ml good quality chicken stock, either homemade or shop bought
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • ¼ plus teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ plus teaspoon dried thyme

Plus, for the gravy –

  • 2 tablespoons plain/all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.

  2. Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6

  3. Spatchcock the chicken if necessary, for more detailed information, see here - place the chicken, breast side down, and remove the back bone.

  4. Flatten out the chicken and then turn it over. Place your hand on the chicken breasts and press down to flatten. Remove wingtips. Your chicken is now ready. (See Recipe Notes.)

  5. Prepare the spatchcock for roasting – peel the onions and slice into 8 wedges. Place in the centre of the roasting tray and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss to thoroughly combine.

  6. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper.

  7. Place the spatchcocked chicken on top of the onion, making sure most of the onion is under the chicken. Pour over 2 tablespoons of olive oil and rub it into the chicken flesh thoroughly, with your hands.

  8. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then sprinkle over the dried thyme.

  9. Drizzle over one more tablespoon olive oil.

  10. Put the backbone and wingtips removed from the chicken, (if you have them) into the roasting tin next to the chicken. These will add extra flavour to the gravy.

  11. Roast in a pre-heated oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. (See Recipe Notes.)

  12. Remove the chicken from the oven and set aside to rest for around 15 minutes.

  13. As soon as you put the chicken in the oven, prepare the potatoes - grease the baking dish with the butter.

  14. Cut each potato into wedges of equal size and tip into the baking dish. Add the salt pepper and dried thyme.

  15. Heat the stock and pour over the potatoes.

  16. Give everything a good stir, cover with foil and cook in the oven for 40 minutes, alongside the chicken.

  17. Remove the foil and continue to cook until the potatoes are soft and you can see some caramelised edges on the potatoes.

  18. Now you can make the gravy – remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside to rest. Pour off the majority of the oil, leaving the onions, sticky bits and around 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. Add the flour.

  19. Use a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine the flour into the oil.

  20. Strain the stock from the potatoes into the pan and whisk well into the flour mix.

  21. Cook, whisking or stirring continuously, for 4 – 5 minutes or until cooked and thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

  22. Strain into a serving jug.

  23. Serve - the potatoes, chicken and gravy with your choice of sides. I served mine very simply with some rocket but steamed or boiled green vegetables would be delicious as well.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

  • kitchen scales and measuring spoons
  • chopping board and knife
  • large roasting tin
  • baking dish

Chicken backbone and wingtips:

If your butcher is preparing the spatchcock chicken  for you, ask for the backbone and wing tips – I add these to the roasting pan to enhance the flavour of the gravy.

Why should meat be cooked at room temperature?

When you cook any meat, the muscles will contract and tighten when heated. The colder the muscles the more they will contact and this means it is harder for the heat to distribute evenly when cooking. By letting the meat come to room temperature before you cook it, your meat will cook more evenly and you will end up with juicier meat. It can take between 30 – 60 minutes for your fridge cold meat to reach room temperature depending on its size and the room temperature.

You also need time to rest the meat after cooking:

As the muscles of the meat contract and tighten when cooked, the juices are forced toward the surface of the meat and some will evaporate. (Which is why overcooked meat is dry.) Allowing the meat to rest after you have removed the heat source, means the muscles will relax and the juices can re-distribute throughout the meat. If you cut it immediately, you are in danger of losing some of these juices and your chicken may be dry and also lose the flavour from those gorgeous juices.

How can I check that the chicken is cooked?

Pull the leg away from the bird slightly and skewer into breast flesh behind the leg. Any juices coming out of the bird should be clear and the meat should be opaque. If you see any pinkness or blood, cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes and check again. If you use a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the meat should read 165°F or 75°C.