Recipe: Sheet Pan Spatchcocked Chicken, Mushrooms And Kale
The ultimate one-pan meal, ready in 40 minutes
We know it can be hard to find motivation for dinner at the end of the day. That's why we came up with the ultimate meal that can be made from start to finish on a single baking sheet.
When you spatchcock a chicken, you remove the backbone to flatten the bird, which drastically reduces the cooking time. Then you throw some fancy mushrooms and kale on the tray to absorb all the chicken juices. The best part: The tray is lined with tinfoil, so cleanup is simple.
We suggest you use shears when spatchcocking the chicken. It makes removing the backbone much easier (and safer) than using a knife. Once the chicken is cut open, use lemon slices to serve as a rack for the chicken to ensure even cooking—and to impart some citrusy brightness to this easy weeknight meal.
Check out our best chicken recipes.
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
Sheet Tray Spatchcock Chicken, Mushrooms and Kale
Learn how to spatchcock a chicken, then turn it into the perfect sheet tray dinner with mushrooms and kale.
Ingredients
- One 3½-to-4-pound chicken
- 2 lemons, cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 sage sprigs
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- ½ cup olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried porcini powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups (7 ounces) shiitake mushrooms, halved
- 2 cups (4 ounces) royal trumpet mushrooms, quartered
- 2½ cups (3½ ounces) maitake mushrooms, torn
- 1 cup (2 ounces) hedgehog mushrooms, halved
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 Fresno chile, thinly sliced into rings
- 2 cups (3 ounces) lacinato kale, roughly chopped
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 475° and line a baking sheet with tinfoil. On a cutting board, place the chicken breast-side down so that the backbone is facing up. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut down along one side of the backbone through the ribs. Do the same thing to the other side of the backbone until the entire backbone is completely removed. Flip the chicken so that the skin side is facing up. Take the wing tips and tuck them under the wings. Using the palm of your hand, press firmly on the breasts to break the breastbone and flatten the chicken.
- In the center of the prepared baking sheet, layer the lemon slices to make a platform to hold the chicken. Top the lemon with the sage and rosemary, followed by the chicken. Rub the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt. Sprinkle the porcini powder and cayenne over the chicken and rub into the skin.
- In a large bowl toss all the mushrooms with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon zest, garlic and Fresno chile. Season with salt. Lay the mushroom mixture around the spatchcocked chicken and transfer the tray to the oven.
- Cook until the chicken is golden brown and has reached an internal temperature of 165°, 25 to 30 minutes. Five minutes before the chicken is done cooking, toss the kale with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt. Scatter the kale over the mushrooms and continue to cook. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then carve and serve.
Nutrition
| Calories per Serving | 631 |
| Total Fat | 48.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11.1 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 144.6 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 12.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.4 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.0 g |
| Sodium | 997.6 mg |
| Protein | 39.4 g |
