Chicken under a brick

 

Chicken under a brick is a favorite of mine. .. . basically the chicken is butterflyed and cooked with a brick on top in a skillet resulting in perfect crisped skin and moist and tender on the inside (who doesn't like that?)

This recipe, adapted from Cooks Illustrated, was fairly easy . . .and uses a dutch oven placed on top of the chicken as the weight instead of a brick, which worked out great for us since we didn't have a brick laying around. . . 

Ingredients needed:

2 teaspoons minced fresh sage leaves

1 medium clove garlic, minced

Table salt and ground black pepper

1 whole chicken (3 pounds), butterflied  (ask the butcher to butterfly it for you)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. Mix the sage, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
2. Loosen the skin on each leg and thigh. (Get in there) Rub the herb mixture under the skin. Then loosen the skin covering the breast and rub the remaining herb mixture under the skin. Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan (we used a cast iron skillet which worked out really well). Cover bottom of a Dutch oven or stock pot, with foil and fill with 5 quarts water. 
4. Once the oil is shimmering, lay the chicken skin side down in sauté pan. Set the Dutch oven on top to hold the chicken flat.
    
5. Cook over a medium-high heat until skin is nicely browned, about 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Remove Dutch oven; turn chicken skin side up. Replace Dutch oven and continue cooking until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the breast reads 165, app. 15-20 more minutes. 
7. Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest and tent with foil.

Serve with whatever greens and starch you want. . .you really can't go wrong. Enjoy!

 

Comments

[Ken Kopley]

This is my preferred method for cooking game hen. In stead of a brick I use a 10lb barbell cap wrapped in tinfoil. I've never tried it with a chicken though. Looks good. For bonus points you can saute the liver with some bacon and onions. Yum.