This is such a simple and good recipe.  I also think it makes a really nice presentation for guests.  We know spatchcocked as cutting the backbone of a chicken or turkey so that the poultry can be cooked flat on a grill or in a skillet.  The historical term referenced a culled immature male chicken.  I have made a few recipes using this technique including a basic spatchcocked chicken.  I have also made a number of chicken dishes using the broiler in the oven to get the same effect on the skin of the chicken including this Lemon Chicken.  My Spatchcocked Sriracha Chicken has both a great char and super flavor.

This recipe could not be any simpler.  This is a perfect recipe for a weeknight meal.  The preparation will only take a few minutes and all the time needed for this dish is cooking the chicken in the oven.  I love to work with my cast iron skillet.  The cast iron skillet has the perfect cooking surface for a spatchcocked chicken.  The surface warms evenly through out so the chicken skin can get a nice char.  The other thing I love about my cast iron skillet is the flexibility to use it on the stove top, and then, move it directly to the oven.  Whether I am cooking steak, chicken or fish, I used this same cooking process – char the flesh or skin and finish cooking in the oven to get an even cooking on the meat.

Getting back to this recipe and to show you how easy it is, the chicken starts skin side down in the skillet with a little oil.  After 3 – 4 minutes, depending on how high your flame is, flip the chicken over, the sriracha is brushed on the top, and the chicken goes into the oven.  It is literally that simple and the flavor is so good.  Don’t think that sriracha makes this spicy.  If sriracha is used moderately, it adds really good flavor.

The chicken cooking and charring in the cast iron skillet.

The Spatchcocked Sriracha Chicken out of the oven.

The Recipe

Spatchcocked Sriracha Chicken

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A simple, flavorful chicken dish spiced with sriracha and cooked using split back chicken in a cast iron skillet.

Prep5 minutes mins

Cook25 minutes mins

Total30 minutes mins

Servings6

Scale

1x2x3x

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 whole chicken, split
• ▢ 4 chicken thighs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons canola oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sriracha
• ▢ Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions 

• Cut the backbone out of the whole chicken.
• Liberally spice all the chicken with the salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high heat.
• Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 3 – 4 minutes.
• Turn the chicken over and move to a 325 degree oven.
• Cook for approximately 15 minutes.
• Brush on the sriracha sauce and cook for another 5 plus minutes.
• Remove from oven and let rest for 2 – 3 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!