Lemon Herb Spatchcock Chicken Recipe

If you want the juiciest chicken with crispy skin and the most incredible flavor, then you have to make this lemon herb spatchcock chicken!

When I was pregnant with our second child I was not in any kind of position to cook, eat or even think about either thing. But it was like taking a surfer away from the ocean, I was determined to make better than ever meals when I had the baby. And spatchcock chicken was strangely at the top of my list. I have absolutely no idea why I hyper-fixated on chicken, but it ended up being a blessing. It gave me something to look forward to. To decide without ever deciding that I was going to not only survive, but thrive post traumatic pregnancy.

I’m not saying that anyone who is going through something hard should just think about chicken to fix things, because again, I WOULD NOT think about chicken during that time. But maybe there’s something about positive psychology that could take us from A-B that is found in the kitchen. So without telling you what I think… yet… what is the happiest memory you have around food?

Why does food more often attach itself to happiness than sadness?

I’ll move on, I know you just want the recipe, but it’s something to think about. Is there a secret about food and cooking that might make a difference in your happiness in the midst of your trial?

What is a Spatchcock Chicken?

A spatchcock chicken is the same thing as a butterflied chicken. It is a method for cooking chicken where you remove the backbone of a whole chicken and flatten it so that it lays flat and roasts more evenly. For some reason, this little bird’s legs curled up again at the end, but otherwise it will lay far more flat than this.

Why Do You Spatchcock a Chicken?

When you roast a whole chicken, the chicken breasts sit higher and cook first and dry out while the rest of the chicken comes to temperature.

With a spatchcock chicken, everything is at the same level and roasts evenly resulting in juicy chicken breasts, thighs, legs…the whole bird!

And the skin gets so crispy and delicious! I dare say that once you spatchcock, you’ll never go back to roasting a chicken any other way.

Do You Flip a Spatchcock When Cooking?

No, a spatchcock does not need to be flipped while cooking. You roast it with the meat side up and it will come to temperature just fine without flipping.

What Do I Need to Make Spatchcock Chicken?

All you need to do is grab a whole chicken and then hit the produce section for some fresh herbs and citrus. You’ll likely have everything else you need in the pantry already. BONUS…this recipe is so budget friendly! Here is what you will need:

• Whole Chicken: a 4-5 pound chicken works best, skin on<

With just 3 ingredients and about 2 minutes of effort, you can make this salty, sweet, completely irresistible peanut butter ice cream topping. I’m willing to bet that you’ll find yourself pouring it over everything.

Peanut Butter Sauce for Ice Cream

Chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, hot fudge, and berry sauces get a lot of attention when it comes to ice cream toppings. For good reason, they’re pretty awesome, right?

I’m here to tell you that there’s a new hit in that line-up. This nut-filled peanut butter sauce is the salty-sweet ice cream pairing that you didn’t realize was missing in your life.

While you can certainly sweeten your peanut butter ice cream topping with powdered sugar, honey, or the sweetener of your choice, I prefer to keep it richly peanut butter flavored as a balance to the sweet ice cream.

Hand me a spoonful of peanut butter on its own and I’m a happy camper, but when you combine that peanut butter with the creaminess and sweetness of ice cream, it becomes a flavor explosion in your mouth.

The nuttiness of the peanut butter adds a savory element to the dessert, balancing out the sweetness of the ice cream and creating a more complex flavor profile.

Peanut Butter Magic Shell

This is the easiest dessert topping you may ever make. Have you made chocolate magic shell before? Thanks to the magic of coconut oil and the way it firms up when it gets cold, making homemade magic shell is so very easy.

To make the peanut butter topping, you’ll melt peanut butter and coconut oil together. Stir well and add a splash of vanilla extract, if you’d like.

Now you’re ready to pour peanut butter sauce over anything and everything you’d like. When poured over ice cream, it will firm and harden into a crisp shell that will crack when hit with a spoon.

The shell melts smoothly when you bite into it, creating an unforgettable treat for any peanut butter lover.

Read more

The Softest Homemade Dinner Rolls [+Video]

The Softest Homemade Dinner Rolls are going to rock your world. Soft on the inside, warm & buttery outside. Plus our tip that makes all the difference for dinner rolls.

Sunday dinner was a really big deal at my house as a little girl. I have absolutely perfect memories of my mom in her apron and Sunday dress bustling around the kitchen to get the pot roast in the oven before church and instantly I was on Jell-O duty. 

Do not judge me.

Jell-O Duty

Jell-O was my thing. Not only did I love to make it but I was the one licking the bowl clean.

While I stirred and stirred, mesmerized by the gentle red waves and slowly disappearing crystals of the gelatin mom was busy with the rest of dinner. As I got older I took on different jobs like peeling potatoes, browning the roast, and so on. Dinner rolls though, that was intimidating. 

And long. 

I did not want to take on some boring, multi-houred process. 

The Softest Rolls Recipe

And now it’s my thing. If you’ve made our famous Potato Rolls you know what I’m talking about. 

Homemade dinner rolls are far more successful if you learn the feel of the dough.  It’s easier to shape and test for doneness on a roll than a big loaf of bread. 

This recipe doesn’t need hours of kneading multiple times a day. In fact, the most important part is the scalded milk. 

Warmed milk changes how it works in the dough, I’ll save you from the science lesson, but here’s what you do:

How To Warm the Milk for Dinner Rolls

• Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Be watching for foamy bubbles around the sides and a thin layer of skin on top of the milk. You can touch the top with a wooden spoon very gently and it will lift off. 
• Now, add the water and set it all aside to let it cool. Stick your clean finger in it occasionally to see if it feels like a warm bath. Once it does, you’re ready to cruise! 

What Ingredients are Needed to Make Dinner Rolls?

• Instant Yeast (make sure it is Instant Yeast and not Active Dry)
• Milk
• Water
• Sugar
• Honey
• Butter
• Fine Sea Salt
• Vegetable Oi

March 18, 2023

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! My youngest son turns 13 this weekend and even though we’ve been watching the calendar waiting for this weekend to finally arrive, it’s a little bit unreal. We have three teenagers in the house now and I love it.

I’ve said it before and it bears repeating, parenting older kids is a whole lot more fun than the babies and toddlers ever were. If you’d told me 15 years ago just how cool it would be to have teenagers, I never would’ve believed it.

ON THE BLOG this week: This is beyond any doubt the BEST ham I have ever tasted – and the secret is all in the 3 ingredient ham glaze. (This ham is so completely worthy of hyperbole; I gave up on attempting to write the post without it.)

Fresh broccoli with dried cranberries, bacon, and red onion tossed in a tangy sweet dressing makes for a crave-able Cranberry Broccoli Bacon Salad. This salad was a hit with my non-broccoli fans too!

Tangy, sweet, Memphis bbq sauce is so much tastier than anything store-bought! (And you can make it with just a few pantry ingredients!) Have you tried making barbecue sauce? If you haven’t, it’s time to give it a try.

This lightly sweetened baked oatmeal is filled with bursting blueberries and wholesome oats with a hint of fragrant cinnamon.

This garlicky Bacon Asparagus Pasta includes a generous handful of freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes as a perfect match to the fresh flavor of asparagus. (I actually had to hide the tiny portion leftover last time we made this because I was determined to have it for lunch the next day!)

Steak Fajita Quesadillas combines the rich, meaty flavor of a steak with the vibrant colors and bold flavors of fajita vegetables, all wrapped up in crispy, cheesy tortillas.

This lightly sweetened and spiced cake is filled with chunks of apple, then drizzled with warm caramel sauce just before serving. A sprinkling of raw sugar over the top of the cake adds a bit of crunch and sweetness as well.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies are thick, chewy chocolate cookies topped with gooey marshmallows and a generous dollop of fudge frosting.

Cinnamon coffee cake loaded with layers of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel is something

Cinnamon coffee cake loaded with layers of buttery cinnamon brown sugar streusel is something that I can not resist whenever it is in the house. Fortunately, it’s irresistible to everyone I know, so it disappears fast any time I make it.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Whether it’s early in the morning with a cup of coffee, mid-afternoon, or late at night, this cinnamon coffee cake is a favorite. Heavy on the cinnamon streusel, this cake is literally half streusel.

The sour cream gives a delicious richness and tender, moist crumb without making the cake overly sweet. It really is the perfect treat with a mid-morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea. My kids devour it as an after-school snack.

Simple cakes like this one are some of my favorite treats to share. Whether I’m taking a whole meal to someone, or sharing a dessert just to bring a friend a smile, cinnamon coffee cake with abundant layers of cinnamon streusel is perfect for any reason.

I first shared this recipe in The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook and it’s been on my frequent repeat list ever since. (For those of you counting, that’s a solid 7 years in the favorites rotation!)

I’m happy to tell you that coffee cake freezes quite well. Wrap individual slices tightly and store them in an airtight container or zip-close bags. Frozen cake can be thawed at room temperature or reheated from frozen in the microwave.