• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Pork
    • Beef
    • Poultry
    • Seafood
    • Appetizers
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Specialty
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Collaborations
    • Privacy Policy
  • Shop
    • My Cookbook

This Jew Can Que logo

March 18, 2023 Poultry

Spatchcocked Traeger Chicken

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Juicy, flavorful and cooked in about an hour, this spatchocked Traeger chicken will soon be on your family’s weekly dinner rotation. Simply seasoned with a flavorful salt-and-pepper rub, the resulting meat is perfect for sandwiches, salads and any number of dishes that call for chicken!

Cooked chicken on a cutting board.
Cooked to perfection

CHICKEN ON THE TRAEGER

Cooking chicken on the Traeger is a right of passage for new Traeger owners. Often one of the most recommended first cooks for new Traeger owners, a whole roasted chicken on the Traeger is juicy, tender and full of flavor. And best of all, it is done in 75-90 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight meal with your family.

When you cook a whole chicken that has been spatchcocked, you have an even faster cook for a weeknight dinner for your family.

WHAT IS SPATCHCOCKING?

Spatchcocked chicken is a funny term for a simple step that will expedite dinner on the table. By using sharp and heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut the backbone from the bird, you change the shape of the bird (more flat than how it was previously round), increase the surface area and allow the chicken to cook more evenly. The result is even juicier and more delicious chicken that cooks up an about an hour.

Whole chicken on a metal rack before being cut.
Pre-spatchcock

HOW TO SPATCHCOCK

In order to spatchcock a chicken, you need a pair of heavy duty kitchen shears, a cutting board and some brute strength. Using the shears, cut the backbone out of the chicken by snipping along the edge of the backbone on either side. The result will be a strip of chicken (mostly bones) about 1.5″ wide that runs from the neck to the tail. That piece is removed entirely (you can use it for stock or soup if you desire) and your chicken is then ready to be flattened.

Then, flip the chicken over on the cutting board (cut side down) and using your brute strength, push down on the breasts with your palms until the breast bone cracks. You want the chicken to be as even in thickness as possible, which will give you the best results.

PRIMARY INGREDIENTS

  • Whole chicken
  • Hot sauce binder (we used Traeger Original Hot Sauce)
  • Seasoning of your choice (we used Traeger Anything Rub)
Spatchcocked chicken on the cutting board seasoned.
Spatchcocked, seasoned and ready for the grill

WHY COOKING SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN ON THE TRAEGER WORKS 

Traeger chicken is an old standard. It’s one of the dishes that Traeger lovers recommend cooking first when you get a grill– the results are delicious, juicy and quick and become a great starting point for lots of memorable dinners on the Traeger.

By spatchcocking a chicken (cutting out its backbone and pressing it flat), you are increasing the surface area of the bird, making the meat more evenly-thick throughout and providing the chicken the opportunity to be cooked more quickly and evenly while in the Traeger.

Once you’ve given a whole Traeger chicken a whirl, give a spatchcocked version a try and you’ll love the result.

Spatchcocked chicken on the Traeger grill.
Spatchcocked on the grill

STEP-BY-STEP

  • Preheat your Traeger grill to 325*.
  • Unwrap the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel.
  • On a big cutting board, flip the chicken breast side down so that the neck/spine is facing up.
  • Using a set of sharp kitchen shears, clip through the chicken carcass on either side of the spine (about 1.5″ apart), to remove the backbone.
  • Flip the chicken over again and press down with both palms on the breasts, breaking the breastbone.
  • Press the chicken until fairly even.
  • Rub the chicken all over with hot sauce binder.
  • Then season the chicken generously with rub, being sure to get under the wing folds and on the cut side.
  • Place the chicken in the center of the preheated grill and insert a Meater thermometer probe in the thickest part of the breast.
  • Pair the thermometer with the app and set a desired temperature of 165*.
  • Roast the chicken in the grill until the temperature of the breast hits 165– about 60 minutes.
  • Pull the chicken from the grill and tent loosely with foil while resting on a cutting board.
  • Using a sharp knife, carve the chicken into individual pieces and slice the breast meat to serve.
Spatchcocked chicken grilled and cut in pieces on a cutting board.
Sliced and ready to serve

ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS

  • Traeger grilled lemonade chicken
  • Maple-mustard chicken thighs
  • Chicken tinga tacos
  • Roasted chicken with garlic, lemon and chiles
  • There’s also a great recipe for a spatchcocked chicken in my cookbook (the cover dish!) which you can pick up here

Products used in this cook:

  • Traeger Ironwood XL Grill
  • Messermeister Kitchen Shears
  • Meater Thermometer, which is now integrated with the new Traeger grills for ease of use. Some of the features I love about the Meater: 
    • Longer Range: Bluetooth to WiFi range extension built-in up to 165ft.
    • Stand-Alone Mode: Cook without the use of your smart phone.
    • Multiple Probes: Dual temperature sensors in each probe can monitor internal meat temperature up to 212°F and ambient / external temperature up to 527°F simultaneously.
    • Guided Cook System: Walks you through every step of the cooking process to guarantee perfect and consistent results. You can also set up custom alerts / notifications based on temperature and/or time.
    • Advanced Estimator Algorithm: Estimates how long to cook and rest your food to help plan your meal and manage your time.

Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know how it turned out!
Leave a review below or snap a photo,
share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue

Cooked chicken on a cutting board.

Spatchcocked Traeger Chicken

thisjewcanque
Quick cooking and full of flavor, this chicken is spatchcocked and seasoned then tossed on the Traeger for maximum wood-fired flavor. In just about an hour, you’ll have dinner on the table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Course chicken, main, meat, poultry
Cuisine American, bar food, BBQ

Equipment

  • Traeger Ironwood XL Grill
  • Messermeister Kitchen Shears
  • Meater thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken (about 3-5 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce binder we used Traeger Original Hot Sauce
  • 1/2 cup seasoning of your choice we used Traeger Anything Rub

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your Traeger grill to 325*.
  • Unwrap the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel.
  • On a big cutting board, flip the chicken breast side down so that the neck/spine is facing up.
  • Using a set of sharp kitchen shears, clip through the chicken carcass on either side of the spine (about 1.5″ apart), to remove the backbone.
  • Flip the chicken over again and press down with both palms on the breasts, breaking the breastbone.
  • Press the chicken until fairly even.
  • Rub the chicken all over with hot sauce binder.
  • Then season the chicken generously with rub, being sure to get under the wing folds and on the cut side.
  • Place the chicken in the center of the preheated grill and insert a Meater thermometer probe in the thickest part of the breast.
  • Pair the thermometer with the app and set a desired temperature of 165*.
  • Roast the chicken in the grill until the temperature of the breast hits 165– about 60 minutes.
  • Pull the chicken from the grill and tent loosely with foil while resting on a cutting board.
  • Using a sharp knife, carve the chicken into individual pieces and slice the breast meat to serve.
Keyword Spatchocked Traeger chicken

Categories: Poultry Tags: roasted chicken, spatchcocked chicken, spatchcocked Traeger chicken

Subscribe

* indicates required

Previous Post: « Traeger Grilled Picanha with Farofa

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to This Jew Can Que,

A recipe website showing of the best recipes you can grill, smoke, and even bake on a Traeger grill from published cookbook author and grilling expert Adam McKenzie, or as the social media world knows him @ThisJewCanQue!

Seventh-generation Colorado native Adam is an elementary school STEM teacher by day. By night, he fires up his Traeger grills to create culinary magic. Follow along for weeknight grilling inspiration.
More About Adam

Follow along:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Subscribe

* indicates required

Cooked chicken on a cutting board.

Spatchcocked Traeger Chicken

Sliced picanha and farofa on a cutting board.

Traeger Grilled Picanha with Farofa

Finished bourbon chocolate pecan pie.

Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie on the Traeger

A double decker Reuben sandwich cut in half.

Reuben Sandwich on the Traeger Flatrock

Footer

Featured on:

 

JewCanQue Media As Seen On logo image.

Disclosure:

JewCanQue.com participates in affiliate programs. Links on this page may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission from these links. We appreciate your support and by using our site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy.

Search for a recipe:

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 This Jew Can Que on the Cookd Pro Theme