Pollo al Mattone: Chicken under a brick

Giorgio Celmo

I made this dish last night, the meat was moist and tender with a nice crispy skin. Bone in chicken has so much more flavor than boneless, worth the extra effort.

Ingredients

1 chicken, 3 1/2 pounds

4 garlic cloves

1 pkg. fresh poultry herbs (found in the fresh herb section of your grocery)

Zest from 1 lemon and 1 orange

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 bricks cleaned and wrapped in H.D. aluminum foil

Marinade

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Wash the chicken under cold running water and pat dry. Remove the wing tips and the backbone. Finely chop garlic, poultry herbs and combine with the zest, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, set aside. Combine the ingredients for the marinade and set aside.

Lay the chicken flat in a large, deep dish, skin side up. Stuff the garlic-herb-zest mixture evenly under the skin of the chicken. Pour the vinegar-wine marinade over the chicken, then cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours up to overnight. Turn the chicken in the marinade two or three times. When ready to cook pre-heat the to 400 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch cast-iron pan or other pan large enough to hold the chicken. Place the chicken skin side down in the pan and weigh it down with the 2 clean bricks wrapped in foil.

Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then place the skillet and bricks in the oven for 20 minutes. After oven roasting carefully remove the heavy bricks, turn the chicken over, and cook an additional 12-15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the pan from the oven and allow cooling slightly before cutting the chicken into serving portions.