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A spatchcocked mayo roast chicken on a blue and white plate with a salad and a bowl of salt and pepper nearby.
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4.86 / 7 votes

Mayo Roast Chicken

Mayo roast chicken takes your everyday chicken and kicks it up a notch. Spatchcocked for speed, then basted with a tangy mayo, you can have this crisp-skinned and ultra-moist beauty on the table in under 2 hours. A worthy upgrade to those grocery store rotisserie birds.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 459

Ingredients

  • One (4- to 5-pound) chicken, spatchcocked
  • Fine sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • Zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons), preferably organic
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F (230ºC).
  • Place the chicken, breast-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest, and mustard. Rub the chicken all over with 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise mixture, reserving the rest. Season the coated chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Roast until cooked through and a thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F (74°C), 40 to 55 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir the lemon juice, chives, and paprika into the reserved mayonnaise mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken on a serving platter and serve the mayonnaise alongside.

Notes

*Why does mayonnaise keep chicken moist?

Chicken, breasts in particular, dry out pretty quickly and often need a little help to retain any moisture they can. Mayonnaise is brilliant for a lot of things and this is one of them. The fat and moisture in mayo keep the moisture in the chicken from drying out—it's the baste that evaporates instead. And as an extra perk, the fat in the mayo renders the skin even crispier than usual.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1556mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g