Spiced Yogurt-Marinated Spatchcocked Chicken

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Yogurt’s mild acidity makes it an incredible meat tenderizer, and butterflying or spatchcocking a chicken ensures a crisp skin and quick, even cooking. This marinade works well with any lean meat, like pork chops or tenderloin, but the way the coarsely ground spices cling to the crispy skin make the chicken version hard to beat. Tender, succulent, subtly spiced and hard to mess up, it’s terrific with my Any Grilled or Roasted Vegetable with Yogurt and Soft Herbs and a barely dressed tangle of greens. 

Serves 4

1 (3¼- to 4-pound) chicken
2 tablespoons whole coriander seed
2 tablespoons fennel seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon Turkish maras pepper or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups yogurt 

Spatchcock the chicken: Using poultry shears, cut along each side of the backbone to remove it. Set the backbone aside for stock. Spread the opened chicken out, breast-side up, and press down hard on the breastbone until you hear a pop and the chicken lies flat. Sprinkle the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon salt and set aside while you make your marinade.

In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, coarsely grind the coriander, fennel and mustard seeds. Combine with yogurt, red pepper flakes and remaining tablespoon salt. In a plastic bag or bowl, combine the chicken and marinade, making sure the chicken is fully submerged in the yogurt. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet. Wipe most of the yogurt marinade from the chicken and place the bird, breast side up, on the wire rack. Roast until the breast reaches 150°F, about 45 minutes. If the breasts start to burn, cover loosely with foil until fully cooked.

Remove from the oven and rest 10 minutes before carving. 

This recipe appeared in the Fall/Holiday 2020 issue as part of a larger story on DIY Yogurt.