Do you wish Trader Joe’s sold rotisserie chicken? Join the club, but they don’t. They have something even better, spatchco*cked chicken. Do you know why?
Most grocery stores (especially Costco) sell rotisserie chickens as a “loss leader” to get you into the store. What does that mean? You are eating the lowest quality chicken money can buy.
BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY see why you should try buying a Trader Joe’s Spatchco*cked Chicken. It’s pre-seasoned, marinated, and delicious with the most crispy chicken skin. All you have to do is put it on a pan and bake. It tastes even better than a rotisserie chicken. It is my favorite way to cook chicken and it’s so much easier than you imagine
What is Spatchco*cked Chicken?
Spatchchoked is a mouthful, but it’s really a simple concept. It means that the chicken has been cut down the middle and the spine removed. It is still a whole chicken, but it roasts flat.
The advantage of flattening out the chicken before you roast it is that it reduces the cooking time to 75 minutes or less. I cook mine in the Breville Smart Oven (my favorite appliance of all time) and it takes even less time than that.
What makes TJ’s Spatchchocked chicken delicious?
Superior Quality – Have you ever thought that the rotisserie chicken you buy in the grocery store is a little rubbery? It’s partly because you cook it twice and partly because the grocery store uses the lowest quality chicken money can buy.
Superior Flavor – You can buy a Trader Joe’s Spatchco*cked chicken for around $14 (varies based on weight). The lemon and rosemary seasoning is so delicious that the taste doesn’t even compare to the rotisserie chicken you get at your grocery store.
Simple to Make – To cook the spatchco*cked chicken you simply preheat the oven, dump the chicken onto a tray or pan and roast for about 75 minutes. I like to line my tray with foil to make cleanup easier.
Add Potatoes for a Complete Meal – If you want a complete meal, you can add some potatoes to the baking sheet and they soak up all the juices. I like to use small red potatoes. You just put the Spatchco*cked chicken on a roasting pan with potatoes and don’t cut them up. It’s one of my favorite easy meals.
Once you try Trader Joe’s lemon, rosemary Spatchco*cked chicken you might be ready to roast an organic chicken from scratch. If that sounds like your next step after you leave the grocery store rotisserie chicken behind, try the recipe below using a Trader Joe’s whole chicken. It takes 15 minutes to prepare plus baking time.
Organic Simple Roast Chicken Recipe
This is one of those simple recipes that will not disappoint and the best part is it is quick to prepare. What I like about the recipe is that it doesn’t require you to truss the chicken, which I never do correctly. As a rule, I don’t like to cook anything that takes me more than 30 minutes (of preparation time) including sides and such.
Ingredients:
- Trader Joe’s Whole Organic Chicken – I like the organic, free-range chicken
- Butter – 2 tablespoons
- Garlic – 4 cloves or more, chopped up
- Salt
- Pepper
- Carrots – 4 – I use Trader Joe’s package of multi-colored carrots that are peeled and ready to go.
- Onions – 1 yellow
Steps To Prepare Roast chicken (less than 10 minutes)
1.) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and make sure it reaches that temperature before adding your chicken.
2.) Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, which helps get crispy skin. Place the entire chicken breast side up in a heavy cast iron pan or if you don’t have one in a roasting pan or large skillet.
3.) Melt the butter and add in the crushed garlic.
4.) Brush the garlic and butter mixture over the bird. It’s best to brush inside the cavity of the chicken and under the skin, but I normally run out of time.
5.) Cut up carrots and onions into large 1+ inch chunks and add that to the pan. Trader Joe’s carries these packages of multiple-colored carrots that are small and already peeled and look so beautiful.
6) Generously salt and pepper the outside of the chicken. If you think you used enough, use more. I think that’s the reason why grocery store rotisserie chickens are so popular because they are made with lots of salt, an amount that might seem almost absurd if you were making it yourself. You can also add any fresh herbs you like.
7) Place the chicken in the oven. Make sure you allow plenty of time. For best results baste the chicken with juices from the pan after 30 minutes. It’s about 20 minutes for every pound. The bird should be 165 degrees at the thigh or 180 degrees in the breast before it’s done. I use a meat thermometer and insert it in the thickest part of the chicken thigh to get an accurate internal temperature. Make sure the juice is running clear.
8) Let the chicken sit before carving for 20 minutes (my family can never wait more than a couple of minutes, but it does make the meat juicier).
You will notice that the pan juices have caramelized. I like to spoon the juice over the chicken when I serve it.
I usually serve it with a salad, so the overall preparation time is under 30 minutes.
I’ve baked many chickens and this was the simplest and most delicious. Have you tried any chicken recipes that are foolproof?
If you are looking for other recipe ideas that are easy and healthy check out my Carne Asada Bowls and healthy chicken lettuce wraps (with extra veggies).
