Rotisserie Chicken has so many uses other than a meat and potatoes meal. Let’s explore its versatility or type “chicken” above in the search bar to see how many ways you could incorporate this chicken into those recipes! (You will find some of these links at the end of this post. )This would be perfect if you meal pan for the week to create healthy options to take to work!
To start, whisk together the spices. If you want a finer rub, just put it in a small food processor or even a coffee grinder. ( I have one specifically for my dried herbs.)
Let’s talk about the chicken. I used a 6 pound chicken(roaster) and cut out the backbone.. This method is referred to spatchcocking, a poultry version of butterflying. Cooking time will be reduced, so that is a benefit. I’ve seen this done at Thanksgiving with a turkey, but I’ve never tried it. However, I have used this method with Cornish hens. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Place in a prepared roasting pan on a rack, breast side up. Brush skin with olive oil then sprinkle seasoning rub over all exposed parts.
I started checking the temperature at 50 minutes and continued to cooked in increments of 10 minutes until it reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This bird was done in slightly over an hour. Remove it from the oven and cover with foil for 10-15 minutes.
The purpose for tenting the meat after cooking is to allow it to rest before you slice it. Tenting keeps the meat warm once it has reached its internal temperature. It also allows some of the moisture, which has moved towards the surface of the meat while cooking, to redistribute. If you cut too soon, some of these juices will be released and a drier meat will prevail. Who wants that?
Slice down the breast bone to split in half. Then, you may slice in into designated portions as shown below.
While the breast portions are faced up, you can cut parallel to the cutting board as low as you can. Then, slice perpendicular for the slices seen below. This can be done after dismantling the chicken or after it’s been cooled in the fridge, if using chicken for another purpose like: Honey Dijon Chicken Salad, Florentine Chicken Tortellini Soup, Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Fajitas. How about a Chicken Caesar Salad or even Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks. There’s even more ! Just search “chicken” above. (*Note: Platter shown below are cuts after being cooled ).
The rest of this is up to you! Try using this Rotisserie Chicken to make some of the linked recipes or perhaps some of your own creative ideas!
Rotisserie Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 t smoked paprika
- 1/2 t onion powder
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1/2 t dried thyme
- 1/2 t dried crushed rosemary
- 1/2 t black pepper
- 1/2 t Kosher salt
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper(optional)
- 1 6 pound roaster, spatchcocked
- extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Whisk rub spices together.
- Rinse and pat dry the chicken. To spatchcock, remove the backbone of the chicken and lay out on rack in roasting pan. Brush olive oil over all exposed areas.
- Sprinkle chicken with spice rub.(Rub in, if you like.) Refrigerate for about an hour to allow spices to absorb into the skin.
- Place chicken in a 425° F preheated oven. Remove once internal temperature reaches 165°F. (Start checking at about an hour.) Cover with foil and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- At this point, you can slice down the breast bone to split in half. Slice off thighs and legs then wings. Remove meat and save bones and their remnants to make some broth for soup. OR...Refrigerate the sections, wrapped in foil until you decide its use.
