This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Suya-Spiced Spatchcocked Roasted Chicken

4 Servings

1½ hours 30 minutes active

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Splayed and spiced! We gave roast chicken the suya treatment—a bold seasoning rub of ground peanuts, hot paprika, brown sugar, garlic and ginger inspired by West African grilled beef skewers. Spatchcocking the bird—cutting out the backbone and flattening the chicken—makes for fast, even cooking and browning. Prep otherwise is minimal, and most ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. Combining the peanuts and spices with softened butter allowed us to spread the mixture both under and over the skin, yielding a crisp exterior and loads of flavor.

4

Servings

Tip

Don’t over-process the peanuts. Stop once they are finely ground but still visible in the spice mix. If over-processed, the mixture will become paste-like, making it hard to spread. Small chunks of peanut also add nice texture to the bird’s exterior.

1½ hours

30 minutes active

Ingredients

  • ½

    cup dry-roasted peanuts

  • 2

    teaspoons hot paprika or 1¾ teaspoons sweet paprika plus ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Reviews
MICHAEL F.
March 8, 2026
My family loved it
The chicken was incredibly moist and quite simple to make. My frequently picky children loved it!
Diana C.
February 27, 2025
Loved the flavor!
The chicken took almost 10 minutes longer than suggested and the coating looked darker that the photo but it tasted delicious.

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