Shelly's Recipe

CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Category: Chicken

3- to 4-lb. chicken (fryer)
2-1/2 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable or olive oil, as needed

Day before: Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry.

Split and partially bone the chicken.
Set the rinsed and dried chicken on a cutting board that's large enough to accommodate the whole bird after it's split.

Put a damp towel under the cutting board to prevent slippage. Cut off the first two wing joints on each wing with a chef's knife or a cleaver. 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.

Now cut the bird completely in half. Hack off the knuckle from each drumstick with a cleaver or with the heel of a chef's knife. Slide a sharp paring or boning knife under the ribs on both chicken halves and carefully cut them out. The partially boned chicken can now lie flat in a pan and will cook evenly.

Rinse and dry the chicken halves again. Combine the thyme, rosemary, garlic, and olive oil in a large zip-top bag or mixing bowl. Add the chicken halves. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).

Heat the oven to 450. Wrap two bricks in a couple of layers of foil. (If you don't have bricks, use heavy rocks, 2-lb. weights, or another heavy pan weighed down with cans.)

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator, let the excess marinade drain off, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set a large cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add just enough vegetable oil to lightly film the pan.

Put the chicken halves, skin side down, in the pan and immediately put a brick on top of each half. Turn the heat to medium and cook (without moving the chicken) until the skin is a deep golden brown (check with a spatula) and the chicken is cooked about halfway through, 20 to 25 min. Remove the bricks, turn the chicken halves over, and put the pan in the hot oven to finish roasting the chicken until a thermometer registers at least 165°F, another 20 to 25 min.