Italian Herbed-Chicken Cooked Under Bricks
entrée, fowl, poultry, spring
2 chickens (3 pounds each)
2/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs
or 1 tbl. dried herbs (ie. oregano,
rosemary and/or sage, etc.)
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Salt
Ground black pepper
TO PREPARE: Working with 1 chicken at a time, place a chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Split lengthwise along the backbone with a pair of kitchen shears. Turn chicken, breast side up; open it flat and press down with the palm of your hand to flatten the breastbone. With a small, sharp knife, make a 1/2-inch-long slit in the apron of skin between each breast and thigh. Fold legs in and tuck the bone at the tip of each drumstick through the slit in the corresponding apron of skin.
Place both chickens in a large baking pan. Drizzle both sides of each chicken with 1/3 cup oil. Sprinkle chickens with herbs and hot red pepper flakes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours. (Can be refrigerated overnight.)
TO COOK: Remove the chickens from the baking dish and sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; reserve the marinating oil. Heat 2 tablespoons of this oil in each of 2 large skillets. Place a chicken, skin side down, in each skillet. Top each of the chickens with 10-pound weight (2 bricks or heavy cans work well) set inside another skillet or round pan that fits inside the large skillet.
Cook over medium-high heat until the skin side of each chicken is golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove weights and turn chickens over. Replace weights and cook chickens until juices run clear when their thighs are pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes longer.
Remove weights and transfer chicken to a carving board; let stand for 5 minutes. (Can be cooled to room temperature, wrapped, and refrigerated overnight.)
TO SERVE: Bring chickens to room temperature. Carve each chicken into quarters (leg/thigh and breast/wing portions) and serve alongside Sicilian-style olives.
Serving Ideas : Pollo al Mattone
NOTES : Spicy marinated chicken grilled in pans.
Using the weighting technique given in this recipe, you can grill the chickens over medium-hot coals. For easier carving, you can substitute 4 Cornish hens for the 2 chickens suggested here. 2566 0 3373 0 0 4714 0 0
Contributor: Cook's Magazine June 1990
Yield: 8 servings
Preparation Time: 6:00
