Spatchcock Chicken & Lemon Garlic Butter

Take the butter out of the fridge about 2 hours before you want to start preparing the chicken, to allow it to soften. Then, about an hour before you want to start preparing the chicken, make the herb butter. First, lay out a roughly A4-sized piece of clingfilm or foil on your worktop. Next, cut the softened butter into cubes and place them in a large mixing bowl, then grate in the lemon zest (keep the lemon for later), add the chopped parsley, crush in the garlic and add a good pinch of salt and a few turns of the pepper mill. Beat all the ingredients together until well combined, then dollop the mixture on to your foil or clingfilm. Pull the clingfilm/foil over the top of the butter, then roll and squidge the butter out into a sausage shape. Wrap completely, then put the butter into the fridge to chill until firm enough to slice (about an hour).

While the butter chills, light your barbecue so that it has plenty of time to get properly hot. Keep an eye on the charcoal, and when you think it’s about 20 minutes away from being ready, take the chicken out of the fridge, along with the herb butter. Loosen the skin away from the surface of the chicken – you can do this by placing two fingers (or a teaspoon, rounded-side facing out) between the skin and the meat, starting from the breast near the neck and moving carefully over the surface of the bird, taking care not to tear the skin. Next, slice the herb butter into fairly slim discs and slide them under the skin of the chicken, placing them all over the bird and ensuring the legs and breast are covered (save about 4 of the discs to use during cooking).

When the barbecue is ready, put the chicken on the grill, bone-side down, with the breast pointing away from the direct heat of the charcoal and the legs closer to the hot coals. Close the lid of the barbecue. After about 15 minutes, place one of the reserved slices of herb butter on top of the chicken and, as it melts, use a pastry brush or similar to spread the butter evenly across the bird. Continue to cook with the lid on for about an hour, repeating the herb-butter basting every 15 minutes or so, until any juices run clear (or, if you are using a temperature probe, the temperature reaches 75°C in the thickest part of the leg). Lift the cooked chicken on to a serving dish, and if you have any herb butter left, dot it on to the bird. Cover the chicken with foil and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the reserved lemon into four chunky wedges and griddle them briefly over the hot coals, so they are caramelised and juicy. You could also use the chicken-resting time to grill a few asparagus spears (they are ready in minutes) and perhaps boil a few new potatoes, too, if liked.
When the chicken is rested, carve and serve with any accompanying veg and the griddled lemons for squeezing over.