ONE 4-5 POUND wHOLE CHICKEN
BABY GOLD POTATOES
YELLOW ONION
LEMON
KOSHER SALT & GROUND WHITE PEPPER
OLIVE OIL
GARLIC
HARDY FRESH HERBS (ROSEMARY, THYME, OREGANO, OR SAGE)
Pat the chicken very dry with a paper towel & place it breast side down on a cutting board. Using sharp kitchen shears snip along each side of the backbone until completely detached. Use your hands to gently stretch open the rib cavity. Place the heel of a Chef's knife at the center of the wishbone & tap the spine of the knife with a rolling pin until the wishbone snaps and the breastplate cracks. Flip the chicken over so that it lays flat - the chicken is now spatchcocked!
Add all listed lemon herb butter ingredients to a medium bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Mix to combine well & set aside.
Use your hands to spread the prepared lemon herb butter between the chicken skin & meat: use your hand to grab some of the herb butter & gently work your hand under the skin over the breast, sweeping from side to side & rubbing the herb butter directly over the breast meat. Be careful not to tear or remove the skin from the chicken.
Place the baby potatoes, sliced onion, & quartered lemon in an oven-safe skillet or braiser. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, then season liberally with 2 teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper. Toss to coat. Place the buttered spatchcock chicken over the potatoes (skin side facing up). Lightly drizzle the surface of the chicken with olive oil & season with kosher salt & ground black pepper.
Transfer the assembled skillet or braiser to the a 450 degree preheated oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Roast for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes, roasting the chicken every 20 minutes to promote even roasting & browning. Pull the chicken from the oven once an instant-read thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the breast & thigh, registers an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
Remove the roasted chicken over potatoes from the oven & carefully tent with foil. Set aside to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before carving. As the chicken rests, its internal temperature will continue to rise to a safe 165 degrees F. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to carve as desired. Serve the lemon roasted spatchcock chicken with potatoes, onions, & any lemon herb chicken drippings!