Slightly Flattened Herbed Chicken

Serves 4
The reason why I say “ slightly flatten” is because I didn’t take out the spine. I only cut up along one side of the chicken’s spine. The term to flatten a chicken is to Butterfly or spatchcock. It's really easy! You make a cut along both sides of the spine. (take out the backbone and it can later be used for stock). You will need poultry shears or a very sharp knife for this task. Then after you’ve cut out the back bone, you turn the chicken over and press down on it to flatten it. Chose the way you prefer to flatten your chicken. As a result of this technique, the chicken cooks more quickly and more evenly.
You will need:
1 whole 3-4 pound chicken, trimmed of excess fat and spatchcocked/butterflied/slightly flatten.
A big shallow baking pan to fit the chicken.
Preheat oven at 350 F.

2 onions each cut in 4 pieces
1 lemon quartered
Place pieces of onion and lemon underneath chicken

Rub mixture:
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro
1 tablspoon of fresh basil
1-2 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1. Mix all rub ingredients in a bowl. Pour over chicken a bit at a time and rub all over.
2. Place chicken in preheated oven.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes per pound. A 3 to 4 pound chicken will cook in 2 to 2 ½ hours.
4. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
I served my chicken with rice and salad. Serve with your favourite side dish. Enjoy!