Peruvian Chili Lime Spatchcock Chicken

Difficulty – Beginner

Time to Prepare – 1 1/2 hours active, 12 hours inactive

Featured Seasoning – Peruvian Chili Lime

Servings – 8

Sam

1 whole chicken

1/2 cup avocado oil

1 lime, juiced

The day before cooking, marinate the chicken. In a small bowl, mix the oil, seasoning, and lime juice until well combined.
Lay the whole chicken on a cutting board with the spine facing up.
Using heavy duty kitchen shears, cut on each side of the spine to remove it. Save for later when you want to make chicken stock.
Flip the chicken over and firmly press down in between the two breasts to break the inner bones, allowing the chicken to lay more flat.
Insert your fingers underneath the chicken skin in all areas to allow it release from the chicken flesh.
With a spoon, scoop 3/4 of the marinade and pour underneath the skin on all areas of the chicken. Massage the skin to allow the marinade to spread out underneath the skin.
With the remaining 1/4 marinade, pour over the top of the skin and massage with your hands all over.
Place the chicken on a sheet pan and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.
The next day, pull the chicken out of the fridge 1 hour before you wish to cook it.
If desired, sprinkle some additional seasoning over the top of the skin.
Preheat a smoker to 450 degrees F or an oven at 375 degrees F. (Although a higher oven temperature works well to achieve crispy skin, we prefer a slightly cooler temperature to avoid an overly smoky kitchen).
Cook chicken until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
Remove from the smoker or oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes to allow for carry over cooking and for the juices to set before you carve it. Enjoy!