LEMON AND HERB CHICKEN UNDER BRICK

I’ve always wanted to make Chicken Under Brick. It’s a classic Italian dish where a chicken is butterflied or separated and cooked under a mattone, a heavy tile. It’s essentially like cooking the chicken under a panini press. The heat is condensed and because the backbone is discarded, or the chicken separated, it cooks quickly and stays moist and flavorful. This was the perfect recipe to develop for The Gorge Magazine‘s Summer 2012 issue. I had so much fun experimenting with this recipe until I got it just right. We will be making this a lot in the coming months.

LEMON AND HERB CHICKEN UNDER BRICK

Ingredients.
1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces
juice of 3 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1/2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Place the chicken Pieces in a large Ziploc bag, add lemon juice, olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper. Seal and refrigerate for 4 hours.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, heat the entire grill on high. Carefully oil the grill. Place the chicken pieces close together, skin side down, over indirect heat. Place a cast iron skillet, or two bricks wrapped in foil, on top of the chicken. Cover grill, and cook for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the butter, garlic, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Return to the grill, carefully remove the skillet or bricks from the chicken. Using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and, using a basting brush, coat each piece with the butter mixture. Cover the grill and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Check the chicken with a thermometer and remove from the grill (breast will take longer than thighs, wings, and legs). Let the chicken rest for a few minutes, and enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
LEMON AND HERB GRILLED CHICKEN UNDER BRICK