Chicken under a Brick

Chicken under a Brick

3 pound frying chicken, backbone removed and spread flat
2 bricks, foil-wrapped (or other weights)

Marinade:
Chicken Under a Brick

1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons to film skillet
1 cup mixed chopped herbs, including rosemary or sage, in any combination of parsley, thyme, basil, mint, chervil or oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large, 2 small cloves garlic, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried red pepper, or to taste

Turn the chicken breast side down on the cutting board and remove the backbone with poultry shears or a sharp chef's knife. Cut along one side of the backbone and then back down along the other. You'll cut through the rib cage at one end and the thigh joint at the other.

Remove the keel bone. Cut a short incision in the middle of the top of the keel bone (this has cartilage on the top end) and flatten the chicken. The keel bone should partially pop out. Trim the rest of it away with a paring or boning knife.

Slide a sharp paring or boning knife under the ribs on both chicken halves and carefully cut them out.

Mix together olive oil, herbs, garlic, salt, juices and zest in a large sealable bag. Add chicken to marinade and turn to coat. Chill at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. Even better, marinate overnight.

Heat the oven to 450°F. If you don’t have bricks, use a smaller pan weighed down with something ovenproof.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator; let the excess marinade drain off;

Set a large cast-iron or other ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with a thin layer of oil. Put the chicken, skin side down, into the pan, topping with both bricks. Reduce the heat to medium and cook (without moving the chicken) until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked about halfway through, approximately 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over, spray the bricks lightly with oil so skin doesn’t stick to them, and transfer pan to the oven to finish roasting. Roast for another 15 minutes, removing bricks in last 5 minutes of cooking. The thigh should reach 165°F. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, covered in foil.