Can I Make The Slow Roasted Garlic And Lemon Chicken with a Spatchcocked Bird?

Our answer

Nigella's Slow Roasted Garlic And Lemon Chicken (from NIGELLA SUMMER) uses a chicken that has been jointed into 10 pieces. The chicken is cooked slowly in the oven, with segments of lemon and whole garlc cloves.

A spatchcock chicken is one that has had the backbone removed. The chicken is then opened out and flattened, so that it cooks more quickly and evenly than a completely whole chicken. We suspect that it would be possible to cook the spatchcock chicken in the same way, as the cooking time is quite long. We would suggest that after the initial 2 hours in the oven you uncover the chicken and check that it is cooked through. The juices from the chicken should run clear if you pierce the thickest part of the bird with the tip a sharp knife (or on an instant-read/digital or meat thermometer the meat should have reached at least 70C/160F). If the chicken is not cooked then cover it again with foil, return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes before checking again. Once the chicken has cooked sufficiently, you can uncover it and continue with the recipe. You may also like to try Nigella's recipe for Spatchcock Chicken With Miso And Sesame Seeds.