A succulent one-pot chicken with a flavorful pilaf side.
For evenly cooked whole roast chicken, spatchcocking is hard to beat. Simply remove the back bone and lay the bird out flat. For this recipe the flattened chicken roasts atop a bed of simmering beet-infused barely. As the steaming barely mixture flavors the roasting chicken, the chicken is also flavoring the pilaf below with its schmaltzy drippings. The result is a meal both bursting with flavor and perfectly cooked. And having only one pot to clean at the end is just a bonus.
Roasted Spatchcock Chicken with Beet and Barley Pilaf
If you’ve never tried spatchcocking this method simply involves removing chicken’s back bone and spreading it flat to allow for more even cooking which results in juicy, succulent meat no matter what part you are eating. For this recipe the spatchcocked chicken is cooked atop a bed of flavorful barely pilaf, made all the more delicious by an infusion of savory drippings coming from the chicken while it roasts. For a crowd-pleasing one-pot meal this is hard to beat.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for rubbing on the chicken
- 2 shallots
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 small beet roots peeled and diced
- 4-6 sage leaves chopped
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 cup pearled barely
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 whole chicken 3-4 lbs
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 lemon quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. In a Dutch oven heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes until starting to soften. Add in carrots, beets, sage, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until vegetables are starting to soften. Add in barely and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in wine then chicken broth.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile pat chicken dry and place on a large cutting board. Remove anything from the inner cavity. Place chicken breast-side-down and use kitchen shears to cut along both side of the back bone to remove it. Flip the chicken over and press down firmly in the center of the breasts to flatten the bird. Rub chicken with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle thyme over the top.
- Remove lid from Dutch oven after 15 minutes and give the pilaf a stir. Place chicken breast-side-up on top of the pilaf. Scatter lemon wedges around the chicken. Transfer to oven and cook for about 45-60 minutes until chicken is 160-165° in the thickest part of the thigh and breast.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Stir together barely pilaf and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.
