Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 4-lb. whole chicken, backbone cut away and discarded. The butcher can do this for you
¼ c. good quality olive oil
¼ c. fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, chopped or run through a press
1 tsp. dried chopped rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
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Directions: |
Directions: Open the chicken flat (like a book), or cut through the breast bone into two halves. Press down on the chicken breast (you can even cut away a little of the breast bone to make it lay flatter). Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon, oil, garlic, rosemary, and thyme together until thoroughly mixed. Coat both sides of the chicken with the marinade. Cover and chill overnight.
Take four bricks and wrap them in heavy duty aluminum foil to cover. Then after cooking you can just remove and discard the foil and store the bricks for next time. You can actually use just about anything heavy and heatproof; you need about 10 lbs. of weight that will fit over the chicken.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of chicken. Lightly coat the skillet with olive oil and set it on the lighted grill. When it’s good and hot, put the chicken in, skin side down. Place the bricks on top, press down to settle the chicken onto the skillet bottom, close the grill lid, and cook on medium high for about 20 minutes; DO NOT TURN OR LIFT THE CHICKEN!! The goal is to get the chicken dark, golden brown but not burnt. Then, using the back side of a spatula (for scraping leverage), scrape hard under the chicken in all directions to loosen the bird with the skin intact. Lift and turn the chicken over. Replace the weights and cook another 20 minutes or until the chicken is done (160 to 165 on an instant-read thermometer). Remove the weights and arrange the chicken, skin side up, on a serving platter. Garnish with fresh parsley or roasted fresh vegetables and potatoes |
This recipe for Brick Chicken (English for Pollo al Mattone) is from