Sometimes, simple is best! My Wood Fired Chicken proves that you don’t need a lot of fuss to create a great dinner. This crisply roasted bird features a zesty binder and two of my best-selling rubs. Every bite is infused with garlic, onion, herbs, and butter.

Cooking this Wood Fired Chicken on the Alfa Pizza Oven gave the bird a subtle smoky flavor. The outside of the bird is crisp and flavorful, while the inside is tender and juicy. It doesn’t get much better than this! My Wood Fired Chicken is a great all-purpose recipe that you can use for a leisurely lunch or dinner.

Wood Fired Spatchcock Chicken in the Alfa Pizza Oven | Heath Riles BBQ

Wood Fired Chicken is a great recipe to try if you’re into meal prep. One chicken can be eaten alone or shredded for tacos, quesadillas, or salads. The possibilities are endless! One thing is for sure; any dish is elevated with this perfectly seasoned Wood Fired Chicken.

The Ingredients

You don’t need a slew of ingredients to make tasty chicken. In fact, my Wood Fired Chicken comes together with just 5! Here’s what you need to add to your shopping cart.

Whole Chicken. For this recipe, I used a 3-pound Springer Mountain Farms whole chicken. Springer Mountain Farms is incredible because they don’t use hormones or antibiotics in their chicken. They treat their chickens like royalty, which shows in the meat!

Bear & Burton’s W Sauce. I used Worcestershire sauce as a binder, giving the Wood Fired Chicken a little zest. Without fail, I always grab a bottle of Bear & Burton’s W Sauce. This sauce comes from a family recipe, and it is, by far, the best Worcestershire sauce I’ve ever tried. Use it to flavor meatloaf, burgers, or chicken.

Heath Riles BBQ Chicken Rub. This unique blend of spices and herbs enhances the natural flavors of chicken without overpowering it. Don’t let the name fool you! You can use it on steaks, turkey, vegetables, and more.

Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Butter Rub. This seasoning blend contains multiple garlic notes for a well-rounded flavor. It also includes a little heat on the back end, taking regular chicken to a new level. Use it on eggs, chicken, seafood, and popcorn!

Butter. To keep this recipe simple, I used pats of butter to baste the bird. This kept the bird juicy without a lot of effort. Plus, it gave the Wood Fired Chicken a beautiful, golden crust.

The Smoker Setup

Here’s the main equipment I used for this recipe. More of my grilling favorites can be found in the Equipment and Tools section.

Pizza oven. For this cook, I used the Alfa pizza oven. This setup holds four pizzas at once! Despite its name, you can use it for much more than pizzas. It cooks fish, steak, meat, potatoes, and flatbreads easily.
Wood splits. For this cook, I used wood splits and kindling. Whole logs are a little large for this oven, especially considering you’ll be moving the fire. You want something easy to manage, and wood splits do just that. I also added a few Royal Oak Tumbleweeds to get the fire roaring.

The Process for Making Wood Fired Chicken

You can see this recipe's detailed demonstration in the video and recipe card. Here’s a quick rundown of how I made my Wood Fired Chicken.

Fire up the Alfa Pizza Oven. First, I ensured the floor of my oven was clean. Then, I laid the wood splits in the oven in a crisscrossed pattern, about four high. I added some Royal Oak Tumbleweeds for good measure. Once my fire burned down, I scooted it to the side, adding kindling as needed. Watch the video to learn how I keep my oven running at the perfect temperature. My Alfa Pizza Oven reached a range of 375℉-425℉.
Spatchcock the chicken. I laid my whole chicken, breast-side down, on a cutting board. Using my poultry shears and Victorinox Fribrox Pro Chef’s Knife, I cut out the backbone. To finish this process, I cut the breastbone in half so the chicken laid flat.
Add binder and seasoning. I drizzled Bear & Burton’s W Sauce on the chicken, followed by a layer of Heath Riles BBQ Chicken Rub and Heath Riles BBQ Garlic Butter Rub . I flipped the bird over and repeated the process on the other side.
Start cooking. I laid the spatchcocked chicken meat side down in a lightly greased cast-iron skillet, tucking the wings under the bird. This kept the wing tips from burning, creating the perfect Wood Fired Chicken. I placed the bird in the Alfa Pizza Oven and let it go for 25 minutes, then tented it with aluminum foil. I let the bird go for another 40 minutes before basting.
Baste and finish. I kept my basting mixture simple by placing pats of butter over the top. This step creates a beautiful bird with a juicy texture. I let the chicken go for another 45 minutes, spinning it every 20 minutes. This extra step ensured the bird cooked evenly. I knew my bird was done when it hit the 161℉ mark. The only thing left was to dig in!

The Results

The Wood Fired Chicken came off the Alfa Pizza Oven with a gorgeous golden crust. The combination of herbs, garlic, and onion made it smell heavenly! The bird was juicy, rich, and had the perfect tang from Bear & Burton’s W Sauce.

Serving Suggestions for Wood Fired Chicken

Snack on this chicken alone, or pair it with crusty bread and a side salad. Add a bag of chips and a bowl of Mississippi Coleslaw if you want a picnic-style spread.