Oven Roasted Spatchcock Chicken with Maple Orange Glaze
by Maple Orange Roasted Spatchcock Chicken with Gravy is what you make when you need to feed a crowd! The whole chicken is roasted evenly with JUICY tender breasts and CRISPY skin! It comes with an incredible maple orange gravy, along with helpful tips on how to spatchcock a chicken. This recipe is a lifesaver for holiday entertaining!
Table of contents
- Oven Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Recipe with Maple Orange Glaze and Gravy!
- What is spatchcock chicken
- Why is spatchcocked chicken better for roasting?
- How to spatchcock a chicken
- Ingredients to make Maple Orange Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
- Maple Orange Marinade for spatchcocked chicken!
- How to make this dish!
- How long to cook spatchcock chicken
- What to serve on the side
- 🙋🏻♀️ Umami tips for the best roast spatchcock chicken recipe:
Oven Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Recipe with Maple Orange Glaze and Gravy!
Roasted spatchcock chicken recipe in the oven with maple and orange glaze is seriously the BEST holiday dish when you need to entertain a crowd! This recipe is:
- Super juicy and tender inside and with a crispy exterior
- Easy no-fuss preparation. i.e. make 1 jar of the sauce for glaze and gravy!
- Cook fast and roast evenly in the oven
- Gorgeous looking and bound to impress!
While you can purchase a spatchcocked chicken (if available in your local stores) for an even faster result, I have a simple video guide to show you how to spatchcock a chicken easily so watch the video below on how to do it!
What is spatchcock chicken
Some people also call it butterflied chicken. Spatchcock means making a whole chicken flat by removing the backbone and flattening it. Because the backbone is removed, you can easily open it up and press it flat so that the whole chicken is roasted at the same height and level, which results in an even baking between the chicken breasts and thighs, plus a shorter cooking time.
Why is spatchcocked chicken better for roasting?
Roasting a whole chicken requires more hands-on care because the chicken breast tends to cook and dry out faster than the dark meat. When you, however, butterfly a chicken (i.e. spatchcock), the breasts, legs, thighs, and the wings are all baked at the same height and level so the chicken is baked evenly with moist and juicy breasts and crispy thighs and wings.
- The white and dark meat to cook evenly because the backbone is removed so that the chicken can lay flat when roasting.
- Easier to season, marinate both inside and outside, and underneath the skin.
- Cooks faster in just an hour or under because the chicken lays flat so that every part is exposed to heat more evenly.
- Easier to carve and no need to truss!
How to spatchcock a chicken
Watch the video on how to spatchcock a chicken. The video was made for my herb-roasted spatchcock chicken. You can use the same technique to prepare the chicken for this dish.
Ingredients to make Maple Orange Roasted Spatchcock Chicken Recipe
- Whole spatchcocked Chicken
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic and onion powder
- Maple Orange Sauce:
- Whole orange and orange juice
- Maple syrup
- Whole lemon
- Coconut aminos, or gluten-free tamari
- Cinnamon powder
- Grated garlic and ginger
- Olive oil
- Chicken stock
- Cassava flour, or regular flour
Maple Orange Marinade for spatchcocked chicken!
To keep it simple and easy, we use 1 big jar of the maple orange seasoning for both the glaze and the gravy!
Here we have orange juice, maple syrup, coconut aminos, cinnamon powder, grated garlic and ginger, and olive oil. After you season the chicken with salt, pepper and other dry spices, pour-in ½ cup of the marinade and allow the chicken to soak up the flavor overnight in the fridge.
This orange maple glaze and gravy tastes refreshing and with a hint of sweetness….it’s the best pairing for roast chicken!
1. Prepare the citrus, garlic, and ginger 
2. Make the maple orange sauce 
3. Marinate the chicken breast side down 
4. Place it over a wire rack 
5. Roast until golden and cooked through
How to make this dish!
Here is my overall game plan. For detailed instructions, please see my recipe card below.
A day before
- Spatchcock the chicken and season it with dry spice seasonings
- Make a jar of maple orange sauce.
- Marinate the chicken with breast side down in a casserole or baking dish that has just enough room to fit one bird snuggly. Pour-in half a cup (½ cup) of sauce. Marinate it overnight in the fridge.
On the day
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before roasting.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment and add the sliced orange, lemon, and red onion.
- Place the chicken breast side up over a wire rack and on top of the sheet pan. Brush the chicken with the marinade from the night before.
- Roast at 400°F (204-205°C) convection oven or 425°F (218°C) regular oven (without the fan) for 50 minutes total. Rotate the pan at half baking point.
- Add the dripping from the sheet pan with the remaining (fresh unused) maple orange sauce to make a gravy!
- Rest the chicken for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the gravy!
How long to cook spatchcock chicken
For a 4-5 lb (1.8-2.3 kg) spatchcocked chicken, roast at 400°F (204-205°C) convection oven or 425°F (218°C) regular oven (without the fan) for 50 minutes total or until a meat thermometer registers 165°F (74°C) for the breast meat and 175°F (79-80°C) for the thighs. Rotate the sheet pan at half baking point for even baking.
What to serve on the side
- Sauteed mushrooms with cauliflower crumbles
- Oven baked miso butter sweet potatoes
- Cinnamon roasted delicata squash
- Roasted cherry tomatoes with delicata squash
- Tatsoi Asian Green Salad
- Roasted cauliflower lemon tahini cream sauce
- Browse more healthy side dishes
Also check my Oven Baked Chinese Orange Chicken !
🙋🏻♀️ Umami tips for the best roast spatchcock chicken recipe:
- Season the whole chicken on all sides and marinate overnight (breast side down)
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before roasting so that it ensures even cooking.
- Place the chicken (breast side up) over a wire rack with citrus fruits under to make the best chicken dripping for gravy!
- Rotate the sheet pan at half baking point and cover up the parts that brown too fast with foil paper. This ensures the chicken browns evenly.
- Do use the dripping from the sheet pan – take 1-2 tbsp of the chicken dripping and add it to the gravy for extra flavor!
- Rest the chicken for 15 minutes before carving.
Maple Orange Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb whole chicken, or buy pre-spatchcocked chicken
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder or granule
For the maple orange sauce:
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos, or gluten-free tamari
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
- 0.8 oz garlic cloves, grated, about 3 large cloves
- 0.4 oz ginger root, grated
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the baking:
- 1 large orange or blood orange, slice to rings
- 1 whole lemon, slice to rings
- 9 oz. red onion, quartered, about 1 large
For the gravy:
- 1-2 tbsp chicken dripping, from the pan juice
- 1 tbsp cassava flour, or regular flour
- ½ to ⅔ cup maple orange sauce, the fresh and unused sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock
- Coarse sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
A day before:
- Spatchcock the chicken and season it all over – front, back, and underneath the skin – with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder.
- Make a jar of the maple orange sauce. Mix well.
- Place the chicken breast side in a casserole or baking dish that has just enough room to fit one bird snuggly. Pour-in half a cup (½ cup) of the sauce and cover and marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge. Store the rest of the fresh sauce for gravy use.
On the day
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before roasting. Preheat the oven to 400°F (204-205°C) convection oven or 425°F (218°C) regular oven (without the fan).
- Line a sheet pan with parchment and add the sliced orange and lemon, and quartered red onion.
- Place a wire rack over the sheet pan and place the chicken breast side up on top of the sheet. Brush the chicken with the marinade we used to marinate the chicken a night before and save the rest of the marinade for the next step.
- Roast for 30 minutes. Remove the sheet pan, pour over the remainder of the marinade, and cover up the parts that brown too fast with foil paper. Rotate the sheet and send the chicken back to roast for 20 more minutes.
- The chicken is cooked through when a meat thermometer registers 165°F (74°C) for the breast meat and 175°F (79-80°C) for the thighs. (Note: the chicken continues to cook up a few degrees right after you remove it from the oven. In general, it should come up another 2-3 degrees).
To make the gravy:
- Rest the chicken for 15 minutes before carving. Use this time to make the gravy.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add 2 tbsp dripping from the sheet pan. Whisk in flour until fragrant (1 to 2 minutes). Slowly whisk in the remainder of the maple orange sauce (i.e. the fresh and unused sauce) and chicken stock. Bring it to a simmer, stir-often and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a gravy boat.
To serve:
- Remove the legs then remove the entire chicken breasts. Carve the breast at a 45 degree angle against the grain so the meat remains tender. Decorate the chicken with roasted citrus fruits and red onions from the sheet pan and serve the gravy boat on the side.
Nutrition
So easy and yummy! Will definitely make again. I doubled the sauce to have extra and I’m glad I did!
i used this as a marinade for boneless skinless thighs! soooo pleasantly surprised!!! delicious! i have enjoyed every recipe from your website
Yum! Lovely! Thank you so much, Arya!