Butterflied Roast Chicken with Rosemary & Lemon Gremolata

My favorite way to roast a chicken is to “butterfly” it, which is to remove the back bone and flatten the chicken so it cooks up really quickly! I set the chicken on a bed or fresh rosemary which adds great flavor and add a last minute brush of a “gremolata” which is a mixture of lemon zest and chopped herbs, to which I added some butter. This is TRUE quick cooking! To save even more time, ask your butcher to remove the backbone of your chicken for you.

Ingredients:

3½ pound chicken (apx.), rinsed and patted dry
8 sprigs fresh rosemary, 4”-6” long
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
Salt & pepper to taste
For the Gremolata:
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Zest of 3 lemons, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled, trimmed and minced
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F non-convection or 400°F convection or convection roast settings.
To butterfly the chicken: Place the chicken breast side down, on a cutting board. Starting at the neck, remove the backbone by cutting through the ribs on each side with kitchen shears. Flatten the chicken by pressing down with your hands, cracking or cutting the breast bone. Season the underside generously with salt and pepper. Turn the chicken skin side up and place in a shallow roasting or broiling pan on top of criss-crossed sprigs of rosemary. Press on breast to flatten further and flatten the legs by pressing them down and away from the body. This will insure even cooking. Brush the 2 tablespoons of butter over the skin and season with salt and pepper. Roast until skin is golden brown and thigh meat reaches 170°F (about 45-55 minutes).
Meanwhile, make the gremolata by blending the 4 tablespoons of butter with lemon zest, garlic and chopped parsley. During the last 15 minutes or so of roasting, brush the chicken with half of the gremolata mixture and finish roasting. Reserve the remaining gremolata to serve with the chicken or with accompanying vegetables.
Remove the chicken from the oven, and place on a cutting board or serving platter. Let it rest for 10 minutes for the juices to settle back into the chicken and for the temperature to rise to the final cooking temperature of 175°F for the dark meat and 160°F for the breast meat.