Butterflied Portuguese Chicken and Potatoes

Butterflied (or spatchcocked) simply means cutting out the spine and flattening the chicken for even cooking. Portuguese simply means delicious! 

1 - 3 lb whole chicken

Marinade:
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chili flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
pinch saffron
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

2 large potatoes
1 small turnip
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tsps thyme
1 tsp salt

I used a sharp pair of kitchen scissors to cut the spine out. I suppose a sharp knife would do but I'm no pro so scissors it is!  Turn the chicken over and press down on the breast bone. I used 2 metal skewers through the meaty parts to keep the chicken lying flat while cooking.

Mix marinade and brush half of it all over the chicken reserving the rest for later. I actually used a mortar and pestle for the job of combining the marinade ingredients. It worked well. Refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight.

Spray a large baking pan with cooking oil. Thinly slice both the potatoes and turnip. (Yep, sneaking in those turnips again!) Toss with olive oil and seasonings and spread out in pan. Brush on 1 tbsp of the reserved chicken marinade.

Lay the chicken, skin side down on top of the veggies. Brush with some of the marinade and into a 425F oven for 20 minutes. Flip it over and baste again. (Not very pretty!)

Bake an additional 25-30 minutes.

Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before removing the skewers and serving.

Oh, and have a look at those potatoes and turnips!

Adapted from: http://www.littlekitchenbigworld.com/portuguese-peri-peri-chicken