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Crispy Low-Carb Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon Herb Marinade

4.5 stars, average of 40 ratings

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There’s nothing quite as delicious as home cooked crispy roast chicken. It’s the scent of Sunday’s for me as we all fight to grapple the last bit of crispy skin! Have you tried it spatchcock before? It’s seriously good. Removing the spine (spatchcock) ensures that the meat is extra juicy and the skin oh so crispy. What’s more, today I’m sharing my top tip on how to make it the most succulent yet!

Roasted in a dressing of fresh parsley oil, it’s just bursting with flavour. With hands on time less than 20 minutes, it’s a classic you’ll come back to time and time again.

Note: Aromatics (onion and garlic) that are used for enhancing the flavour of the juices are only partially included in the nutrition facts.

Hands-on Overall

Serving size 1/4 chicken

Allergy information for Crispy Low-Carb Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon Herb Marinade

✔  Gluten free
✔  Dairy free
✔  Egg free
✔  Nut free
✔  Nightshade free
✔  Pork free
✔  Avocado free
✔  Coconut free
✔  Fish free
✔  Shellfish free
✔  Beef free

Nutritional values (per serving, 1/4 chicken)

Net carbs3 grams
Protein33.5 grams
Fat41 grams
Calories514 kcal
Calories from carbs 2%, protein 26%, fat 72%
Total carbs3.8 gramsFiber0.8 gramsSugars0.9 gramsSaturated fat9.4 gramsSodium420 mg(18% RDA)Magnesium46 mg(11% RDA)Potassium482 mg(24% EMR)

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

Chicken:
  • 1 whole chicken (1.15 kg/ 2.5 lb bird, will yield about 60% meat & skin)
  • 2 small red onions (90 g/ 3.2 oz)
  • 1 whole bulb of garlic
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup water (80-120 ml/ 3-4 fl oz)
Lemon herb marinade:
  • large bunch fresh parsley, stalks removed (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
  • 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
  • 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • few drops of apple cider vinegar
  • 1 small clove garlic, peeled
  • Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (fan assisted), or 220 °C/ 425 °F (conventional). To make the lemon herb marinade (parsley oil), simply place all the ingredients in a high speed food processor and blitz until fine.
  2. Remove the giblets and string from the chicken. Splay open the chicken, breast side down with the drumsticks facing towards you.
  3. Remove the back bone. Run your finger down the spine of the chicken to identify the soft outside of the ribcage. Using strong scissors cut up one side of the spine. Crispy Low-Carb Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon Herb Marinade
  4. Repeat on the other side of the spine and remove the backbone (reserve the meaty back bone for making keto bone broth or chicken stock).
  5. Flip the chicken over, splay the legs and using the palm of your hand press down firmly to flatten the chicken. Crispy Low-Carb Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon Herb Marinade
  6. Place the chicken opened up on a baking tray and rub half of the parsley oil marinade over and under the skin. Peel the onions and slice into quarters. Slice the garlic in half horizontally and arrange both around the chicken. Fill the base with a little water. Crispy Low-Carb Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon Herb Marinade
  7. Push the tips of the wings behind the breastbone where the neck is. Make a hat for the chicken by twisting the corners of a grease proof sheet of paper (my top tip to help tenderise the meat to make it moist). Cover the top of the baking tray with tin foil so there are no gaps and roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
  8. After the initial cooking time, remove the tin foil and greaseproof paper, drain the juices into a glass but save these as you’ll need them later. Place the chicken back in the oven for 30 more minutes for the skin to crisp up.
  9. Add the juices back in after 20 minutes (of the extra 40 minutes) and give the onions and garlic a stir. Cooking times vary based on the size of the chicken so please adjust accordingly. The bird is cooked when the juices of the meat run clear and there is no pink flesh. Crispy Low-Carb Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon Herb Marinade
  10. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the remainder of the parsley oil on top. Crispy Low-Carb Spatchcock Chicken with Lemon Herb Marinade

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, 1/4 chicken)

Net carbsProteinFatCalories
Chicken, whole, raw
0 g32.6 g27.3 g376 kcal
Onion, red, fresh
0.7 g0.1 g0 g4 kcal
Garlic, fresh
1.4 g0.3 g0 g7 kcal
Water, still
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Parsley, fresh (spices)
0.5 g0.4 g0.1 g5 kcal
Olive oil, extra virgin
0 g0 g13.5 g119 kcal
Lemon juice, fresh
0.2 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Apple cider vinegar
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Garlic, fresh
0.2 g0 g0 g1 kcal
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt
0 g0 g0 g0 kcal
Total per serving, 1/4 chicken
3 g33.5 g41 g514 kcal

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Jo Harding
Creator of ModernFoodStories.com

Jo Harding

Food is one of life’s most powerful medicines. I’m a true testament that once you find the right approach for you, you can overcome poor health through the healing power of food.

I believe the secret to radiant health starts and ends with a healthy gut so my recipes are all grain, gluten and refined sugar free. Most are also dairy-free.

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