Tequila Lime Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken

Name: Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken Recipe
Prep time: PT-483909H15M59S
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: PT-483909H15M59S
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 4-5 pound chicken; 3 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; zest and juice from one lime; 2 tablespoons tequila; 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil

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Crispy skin, juicy meat, and the most flavorful tequila lime marinade make this Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken the star of grilling season. This delicious chicken is a true taste of summer and will be a hit at your backyard barbecues! I'll walk you through the easy process of how to spatchcock a chicken and give you all my grilling tips to ensure a juicy bird.

grilled spatchcocked chicken on parchment lined tray with grilled vegetables and carving knife

Recipe Background and Details

Grilling is kind of a year-round thing in our house but I definitely grill more often in the summer. I love grilling for several reasons - the first being flavor. It's also a great way to keep the kitchen clean(ish). And of course, grilling is always a great excuse to grab a cold beer or glass of wine. But mostly, I love grilling because it reminds me of my dad. He was an expert griller and I aspire to be half as good as he was. I always plan to share more grilling recipes here but somehow never do. Well I vow to change that this summer starting with this beautiful burnished bird.

If you love firing up the grill, give these recipes a try: Steamed Clams with Grilled Corn and Bacon and Grilled Lemon and Herb Chicken Skewers. And if you want to try your hand at spatchcocking a bigger bird, give my Spatchcocked Turkey a try! And when you're not in the mood to grill, make my Classic Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables where I also prefer to spatchcock the chicken but oven-roast instead of grilling.

What is a Spatchcocked Chicken?

Spatchcocking is another word for butterflying. This just means you remove the backbone from the chicken and open it up so that it lays flat. The benefit of spatchcocking a chicken is that it lays flat during cooking which allows the skin to crisp and the meat to cook evenly and quickly which results translates to crispy skin and juicy meat. A spatchcocked chicken is also much easier to carve than a whole chicken in my opinion.

grilled chicken on parchment lined tray with grilled vegetables, a carving knife, and a small dish of lime salt

Jump to:

Recipe Background and Details
What is a Spatchcocked Chicken?
Ingredients
Instructions - How to Spatchcock a Chicken
Instructions - How to Grill a Spatchcocked Chicken
Can I Grill this on a Charcoal Grill?
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
Grilled Spatchcock Chicken FAQ's
Related - more poultry recipes
Pairing - side dishes
Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

Besides the chicken, you'll need just a few ingredients to make a very easy and flavorful marinade.

kosher salt
smoked paprika
cumin
oregano
garlic powder
black pepper
lime zest
lime juice
tequila
avocado oil

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions - How to Spatchcock a Chicken

There's nothing pretty about this process but I promise it's really easy.

right side of backbone being removed from chicken with kitchen shears

left side of backbone being snipped with kitchen shears

Get yourself set up on a large cutting board or rimmed sheet tray. Make sure the marinade is ready and standing by. If you're marinating this overnight like I do, have your storage container ready to go before you start handling the raw chicken.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place on a cutting board or rimmed baking tray. Using a heavy duty pair of poultry shears, begin at the tail end and snip up one side of the backbone. Repeat on the other side and remove the backbone (save for stock!).

chicken rib cage being pushed apart during the spatchcoking process

hands pressing down firmly on chicken to flatten the breast and complete the spatchcocking process

I like to open the ribcage up and pop the breast bone a bit before flipping the chicken over and pressing down firmly to really flatten and open it up. That's it! You just spatchcocked a chicken!

hand rubbing tequila lime marinade onto breast side of spatchcocked chicken

hand rubbing tequila lime marinade onto under side of spatchcocked chicken

Next, smear half of the marinade on each side of the chicken. Feel free to slide some under the skin if you want. Now for the best flavor, I like to cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for a few hours. If you want to grill right away you will still have a delicious grilled chicken! Give your hands and any surfaces the chicken touched a good scrub with hot, soapy water.

Instructions - How to Grill a Spatchcocked Chicken

tongs holding oiled paper towel rubbing oil onto grill grates

spatchcocked chicken skin side down on grill grates

Heat gas grill over medium-high heat until hot - around 400-450 if you have a temperature gauge. Make sure grates are brushed clean and lightly oil them with a paper towel or rag using long tongs and using a back to front motion to avoid any flare-ups. Lightly oil the skin side of the chicken and place skin side down on the grill. Close grill lid with vents open and grill for 15-20 minutes on the skin side. Flip and cook another 15-20 minutes in the same manner.

After the second 15-20 minutes, I like to turn the heat off under the chicken and leave the other two burners on. This allows the grill to work more like an oven while the chicken cooks through without becoming overly charred. This also ensures juicy meat and crispy skin.

Cook chicken until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. The temp will rise a bit as it rests. The total cooking time for a 4 pound chicken will be about 45-50 minutes.

Remove from grill and let rest a few minutes before carving and serving. Another bonus of a grilled spatchcocked chicken is it is so easy to carve!

Can I Grill this on a Charcoal Grill?

Yes! I recommend setting up your coals on one half of the grill, leaving one side as an indirect heat source. Cook in the same manner as instructed above, but move to the indirect heat for the final 10-20 minutes of cooking.

grilled spatchcoked chicken carved into 4 pieces on parchment lined tray surrounded by grilled vegetables

Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating

The chicken can be spatchcocked and rubbed with marinade 24 hours before grilling and kept tightly covered in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

After cooking, store any leftovers in the refrigerator within 2 hours of grilling and use within 3-4 days.

reheating options:

Keep in mind that the reheating times for dark meat or meat on the bone will be significantly longer than if you are cooking slices of meat or shreds of meat off the bone. You are aiming for 165 degrees F.

Preheat the oven to 350°F, place the chicken in a baking dish with a small amount of water or chicken broth, cover with foil, and heat until warmed through, which should take about 20 minutes.
Microwave on high for 2–3 minutes, or until heated through.
Add some water or chicken broth to a skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add the chicken, cover, and heat until warmed through, which should take about 10 minutes.
Place chicken in airfryer set to 350°F and cook chicken until warmed through.

angled view of grilled spatchcocked chicken on tray with grilled limes, cilantro, avocados, and green onions

Grilled Spatchcock Chicken FAQ's

Do you flip a spatchcock chicken on the grill?

Yes, to evenly cook the chicken, you will begin cooking on the breast side and then flip it once to finish the cooking process on the under-side.

How long does it take to cook a spatchcock chicken?

The cooking time of a spatchcocked chicken will depend on the weight of the chicken. For a 4 pound chicken, the cooking time is around 45 minutes which is about 15-20 minutes less than if the bird was left whole.