Grilled Herb Butter Chicken
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Using an Herb Butter and spatchcocking a chicken before grilling assures a moist, tender, and seasoned bird with perfectly crispy browned skin.
John is the king when it comes to cooking outside. He was a great boy scout, and when we went camping, we always ate in style. Maybe not Grilled Herb Butter Chicken, but we ate a heck of a lot better than most.
He recently brought home a gorgeous free-range organic chicken. It was so fresh and plump, and we didn’t want to waste one ounce of it, so I decided to roast it whole.
Roast it on “The Big Green Egg” that is. The Big Green Egg is a ceramic grill that uses lump charcoal. Alternately you can grill it on any grill or bake it in the oven too.
It has a couple of vents that allow you to control the temperature. There isn’t any financial gain for me to endorse this equipment, but we make some amazing food using it. It can be used for smoking, and indirect cooking too.
John prepped the bird by spatchcocking it. To do this, take a pair of good kitchen shears or a boning knife and cut through the bird on each side of the backbone and remove it. You then press down on the breastbone hard enough to flatten the bird out.
Flattening the bird allows the dark meat and white meat cook at the same rate which keeps the white meat moist since you aren’t overcooking it while the dark meat cooks. I freeze the backbone and use it when I make chicken stock.
Once the bird was ready to go, we put a smear of *homemade herb butter under the skin. I rubbed the exterior of the bird with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of fresh chopped rosemary and thyme.
You could use an Italian seasoning too which is what I often do.
The chicken cooked on the grill at 375 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Tips for the perfect Herb Butter Chicken
- Spatchcocking chicken or turkey assures that the white and dark meat cook at the same rate. No more dry white meat!
- Applying herb butter under the skin gives the meat flavor as it cooks.
- A drizzle of olive oil over the skin and additional seasoning makes for a delicious browned bird with crispy skin.
- Baste the bird once it reaches 145° to achieve the perfect browned crispy skin.
- When you remove the bird from the grill let it rest before carving it. The meat will reabsorb the juices. By cutting it right away, those flavorful juices will just run out.
- Don’t overcook the bird. Use an instant-read thermometer and test in the thickest part of the let without touching the bone. Chicken is finished when it reaches 160°F. It will continue to rise for a short time because of the residual heat.
- Put your cutting board in a rimmed baking sheet to catch any remaining drips. It will make for an easy clean-up.
This chicken was succulent and flavorful. The skin was crispy good. We paired this lady with a side of roasted carrots and creamy cheesy polenta for a complete meal meant for a king.
Tips for flavored butter
- I keep flavored butter in my freezer. I made this butter by taking room temperature butter and mixing it with grated lemon peel, chopped rosemary, and thyme.
- When your butter tray is getting empty, save the last couple of tablespoons by putting them in a small dish in the freezer. When you get 6 to 8 tablespoons, let it thaw and add the flavors you like. Shape it into a rectangle or log shape that will fit your butter dish and either use it or refreeze it in a reclosable plastic bag. Mark and date the contents and refreeze.
- Herbed butter is delicious on popcorn or vegetables and potatoes or for making your own seasoned crackers.
- Season the butter with honey and cinnamon. It’s amazing on toast or pancakes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, check these out
- Roasted Chicken with Instant Pot Risotto
- Lemon Herb Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
- Chicken Marsala with Noodles
- Skillet Braised Chicken Chicken Thighs
Our most popular posts would go great with this Herb Butter Grilled Chicken!
Don’t forget to pin this delicious Grilled Chicken Recipe
Grilled Herb Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 1b chicken
- 2 tsp olive oil
- seasonings of your choice thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic
Herb Butter
- 4 tsp butter salted or unsalted, softened
- seasonings of your choice thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic
Instructions
- Blend the softened butter with the herbs or seasonings of your choice.
- Spatchcock the chicken and apply the herb butter under the skin without entirely removing the skin from the bird. Drizzle the skin of the bird with olive oil and season it with additional herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Grill or bake the chicken at 375°. When it reaches an internal temp of 140°F baste the skin of the bird with additional herb butter if desired. Remove the bird from the grill or oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Let the chicken rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Spatchcocking chicken or turkey assures that the white and dark meat cook at the same rate. No more dry white meat!
- Applying herb butter under the skin gives the meat flavor as it cooks.
- A drizzle of olive oil over the skin and additional seasoning makes for a delicious browned bird with crispy skin.
- Baste the bird once it reaches 145° to achieve the perfect browned crispy skin.
- When you remove the bird from the grill let it rest before carving it. The meat will reabsorb the juices. By cutting it right away, those flavorful juices will just run out.
- Don’t overcook the bird. Use an instant-read thermometer and test in the thickest part of the let without touching the bone. Chicken is finished when it reaches 160°F. It will continue to rise for a short time because of the residual heat.
- Put your cutting board in a rimmed baking sheet to catch any remaining drips. It will make for an easy clean-up.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
WOW this is the best looking chicken I’ve ever seen! The big green egg sounds GREAT, something that my husband and I would really enjoy, thanks for sharing, now I’m hungry! 🙂
It’s funny Stephanie, my hubby takes pictures of his food about as much as I do and sends to his egg buddies. They all have one and I think it’s like “food smack” among the guys.
This sounds and looks amazing!!! And yep, I giggle at “spatchcocking” all the time lol
We are so mature 🙂 .
It looks so yummy and perfectly cooked
Thank you so much! I am very happy that you came by!
Spectacular bird, Julie! And we love the word “spatchcock” around here–makes us giggle too! Love the idea of the flavored butter underneath the skin, too. Once again, you’ve struck gold!
Thanks Tracey! This is just a good dish and I love having it leftover for other dishes. I looked the other day for your new design. Nothing yet?
Nothing yet. Still waiting for it. You actually have leftovers from this chicken? I am amazed!
I know! 🙂
Love the idea of flavored butters. Happy FF!
Thank you! Happy FF to you too!
Love the gorgeous color on that chicken Julie! Delicious!!
That is one gorgeous chicken, Julie…it looks roasted to perfection! A Big Green Egg is on my hub’s wishlist of really, really “wants”. I’ll let him see the results possible AFTER he paints the kitchen. 😉 Thanks for sharing this at Fiesta Friday!
Thank you Nancy! We really recommend the large egg. The XL is way too big and the M is too small. Happy FF to you too!
spatchcock! Ha! I giggled too- we’ll be super mature together 😉 That skin looks perfectly crispy! Hooray for husbands who can grill! 😀 Happy FF!
Ha LOL! Thanks Tracy! It was one yummy little chickie. Happy FF to you too!
This chicken looks perfect, tell John he’s definitely the ‘King’ lol Thanks for bringing it to FF this week Julie 🙂
Thanks Jess! H soaks up the compliments gladly 🙂
Oh my! I love roasted chicken so much and this looks like a perfect roasted chicken for me. Save me the thighs, please. 😀
Oh yea! It was delicious!
That Roast Chicken looks positively amazing!! I cannot stop drooling 🙂
Thank you dear! Have a great day!
I love the look of that polenta. It looks exactly the way we cook it. Oh, and that bird…, very sexy, indeed. 🙂
Thank you Ana! I thought I replied to you earlier but didn’t see it. Crazy computer. Anyway, we love polenta too. Especially the cheesy stuff, and the bird oh indeed she was sexy and didn’t go to waste!
Wow! This looks amazing!
Thank you Sarah!
Ohh yumm. It’s about super time I think lol and this looks fab
I know. Now is a horrible time to look at recipes. I want everything that I see. Piggy piggy me 🙂
Haha, ikr, me too honey
Mmmmm! It looks so yummy, Julie! Do you (or John?) grill all year long? Hope you are doing well, Julie! Think Spring! ♡
We do weather permitting. (sub zero, blizzard, or tornados on the ground 🙂
That is one sexy bird!! Sounds and looks heavenly!
Thanks Debbie! She was a sexy lady for sure!
I love roasted chicken, Julie. Yours is just gorgeous 🙂
Me too! You can do so many flavor profiles, and none of it goes to waste. Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have a great day.
I never flattened a whole chicken like that, so this was good to learn.
Thank you! I hope you will give it a try. It just makes so much sense, and carved you would never know.
This looks gorgeous! My husband would surely drool over this had I to show him this. I love the idea of the flavored butter, genius! 🙂
Thank you! It’s a great way to add flavor to anything. Enjoy your day!
Looks delicious, so good that I’m craving some roast chicken for lunch 🙂
Thank you!
I love roasted chicken Julie, we make it quite regularly here too, but I’ve never done it on the barbeque grill. Your Big Green Egg sounds quite interesting, I’m not sure I’ve heard of it. Your chicken is just the way I like it, moist inside and crispy on the outside. I just acquired a recipe recently from a cousin in Toronto in which the chicken was spatchocked. Although I’ve never attempted to do it, I’ve seen it done, and thought I should definitely give it a try. It’s a much better way of carving it too, isn’t it?
It carves up easily. John even does that with our turkeys now. All of my husbands friends are now using the egg for grilling. I call it his cult :). I sure don’t complain though because it does a great job of cooking. You will have to share your cousins recipe if it’s a success. Have a great day Loretta! Hope you are doing well.
Hmmm, I’ll definitely have to look it up. My cousin’s recipe is pretty spicy, but wow! was it good. I’m doing well thanks Julie, I’ve been blogging like crazy and have finally caught up. Next week is your big week, I bet you can’t wait. 🙂
My husband loves spicy. I hope you will post it. I am really hopeful that the Dr. will take away the crutches. I am getting antsy. Good day to you!
Plump crispy moist chicken…yummmm….
Thank you skd. Now that the weather is nicer, we are enjoying cooking outside again.
Nothing beats charcoal grilled chicken.
I agree skd! It just screams summer time! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
You too Julie 🙂
That is one gorgeous chicken. I think only a handful of people appreciate a simply roasted chicken. One of my favorite things in the world!
Thank you! I agree with you. Roasting delivers such a great flavor. I am using it so much more especially for veggies!
mmmh!seems really perfectly cooked!
Thank you! We love roasting chicken and then we can have so many choices for left overs.
Oh my God! This dish looks Yummylicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much! It was delicious and so moist. Leftovers were just as delicious!