Chicken Under a Brick

Chicken Under a Brick
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/22/dining/the-minimalist-getting-chicken-right-just-add-bricks.html

I'm going to miss the articles by Mark Bittman who is moving on from his post as "The Minimalist" to write a blog and be an advocate, essentially, for eaters’ rights in the NYTimes. Also in the Times Magazine, where he’ll be writing a recipe column most Sundays beginning in March

The Minimalist; Getting Chicken Right: Just Add Bricks
By Mark Bittman
Published: October 22, 1997

IT isn't easy to cook chicken so that its skin is crisp and its interior juicy. Grilling, roasting and sauteing all have their problems.

But there is an effective and easy method for getting it right, using two ovenproof skillets. A split chicken is placed in one of them, skin side down. The other skillet goes on top as a weight, which helps retain moisture and insures thorough browning. A couple of clean rocks or bricks can be used instead of the second skillet. (If the weight of choice doesn't seem terribly pristine, it can be wrapped in foil.)

The chicken is seasoned and marinated for a few minutes, or longer if there's time. Then it's seared in one skillet and weighted with the other before being transferred to a hot oven. Moving the hot, heavy pan from range to oven takes two hands, but the effort is well worth it. As a bonus at the end, much of the chicken's natural juices remain at the bottom of the pan; they make a perfect sauce, especially for rice.

The dish is well known in Italy, where it is called chicken al mattone (a mattone is a heavy tile), but as a knowledgeable friend points out, it has roots in Russia as well. There it's called chicken tapaka (a tapa is a heavy skillet).

Until recently, I had always seasoned this dish as described below -- with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and lemon, a standard quartet often found in Italian chicken dishes. But I have found several successful variations.

-- Use different herbs; sage, savory and tarragon are all great. Russians use paprika.

-- Try a light dusting of cinnamon, ginger and/or other ''sweet'' spice.

-- Use minced shallots instead of garlic.

-- Vary the acidic ingredient: balsamic or Sherry vinegar, or lime can all pinch-hit for the lemon, depending upon the other flavors.

-- Use clarified butter or a neutral oil, like canola or corn, in place of the olive oil.

-- Leave European flavors behind entirely and make the dish Asian, using peanut oil and a mixture of minced garlic, ginger and scallions. Finish the dish with lime and cilantro, or soy sauce and sesame oil.

CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Time: 45 minutes, plus optional marinating time

1 whole 3- to 4-pound chicken, trimmed of excess fat, rinsed, dried and split, backbone removed

1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon peeled and coarsely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, optional

1 lemon, cut into quarters.

1. Place the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down, and using your hands, press down hard to make it as flat as possible. Mix together the rosemary leaves, salt, pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and rub this all over the chicken. Tuck some of the mixture under the skin as well. If time permits, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to a day (even 20 minutes of marinating boosts the flavor).

2. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Preheat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Press rosemary sprigs, if using, into the skin side of the chicken. Put remaining olive oil in the pan and wait about 30 seconds for it to heat up.

3. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, along with any remaining pieces of rosemary and garlic; weight it with another skillet or with one or two bricks or rocks, wrapped in aluminum foil. The idea is to flatten the chicken by applying weight evenly over its surface.

4. Cook over medium-high to high heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and remove the weights; turn the chicken over (it will now be skin side up) and roast 10 minutes more, or until done (large chickens may take an additional 5 minutes or so). Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.

Yield: 4 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 410 calories, 25 grams fat, 135 milligrams cholesterol, 125 milligrams sodium (before salting), 45 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate.