Toms Brick Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• Partially debone the chicken halves, removing the wing, backbone and thighbone. Rinse and pat dry. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 30 minutes to dry out the skin.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a large nonstick skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat and add the oil and butter. Lay the chicken halves, skin-side down, in the skillet and scatter the thyme around them. Wrap a slightly smaller skillet with foil and place on top of the chicken. Set a large brick or 2 to 3 heavy cans in the skillet to weigh it down.
• Cook the chicken 3 to 5 minutes, then remove the top skillet and check the skin; adjust the heat and rotate the pan as needed so the skin browns evenly. Replace the top skillet and continue to cook until the skin is golden and crisp and the chicken is cooked about three-quarters of the way through, 20 to 25 more minutes. Remove the top skillet and carefully flip the chicken. Cook, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Cut each piece in half to serve.

Steps:

• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Use kitchen shears to cut down both sides of the backbone. Remove backbone and discard. Cut through breastbone from the inside until chicken folds out like a book and lays flat.
• Season chicken all over with salt and black pepper, and sprinkle herbes de Provence on the inside. Let chicken sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature; pat dry with paper towels. Brush skin-side of chicken with oil and season again with salt and black pepper.
• Heat an oven-proof cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. Place chicken, skin-side down, in hot skillet and place bricks evenly on top to weigh down chicken.
• Roast chicken in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove bricks, turn chicken over, and continue roasting until juices run clear and meat is no longer pink at the bone, 5 to 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Preheat the oven's broiler and broil the chicken until skin is crispy and golden, 1 to 3 minutes.

Steps:

• Cut off or have the backbone of the chicken cut off. Make a small incision through the flesh at the base of each chicken half. Push the leg end of each chicken half through this incision to hold the leg in place. Place each chicken half skin-side up on a flat surface and pound all over forcefully with a flat mallet or the bottom of a clean heavy skillet.
• Turn the chicken halves skin-side down, and with a small paring knife make one small incision in the breast portion. Make one more small incision in the leg portion. Insert one sliver of garlic, one small rosemary sprig and one small thyme sprig in each incision.
• Put the chicken pieces in a flat dish. Sprinkle the chicken pieces on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of lemon juice and a half cup of olive oil, turning the pieces to coat well. Arrange the pieces skin-side up in the dish and arrange the lemon slices evenly over the skin. Scatter the remaining two rosemary sprigs and two thyme sprigs over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
• Pour off and reserve the liquid from around the chicken pieces. Discard lemon slices and herb sprigs.
• Heat a large heavy skillet, preferably of black iron, until almost smoking.
• Pour the reserved liquid into the skillet. Immediately add the chicken pieces skin-side down. Scatter the garlic slices all around the chicken. Cover the chicken pieces with one heavy skillet that will fit comfortably inside the skillet in which they cook. (Chef Boulud uses bricks covered with foil to weight his chicken pieces.) If necessary, add more weights to the upper skillet to make the chicken lie as flat as possible. Cook over high heat about five minutes, until the skin is darker than golden brown. As the chicken cooks, lift the pieces to check the color of the skin. After five minutes, reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking about one minute. Remove the weights and turn the chicken pieces. Replace the weights and place the chicken in the oven. Bake 17 minutes. Remove the weights and turn the chicken pieces once more. Continue cooking about three minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
• In a small saucepan, combine the remaining one tablespoon of lemon juice, six tablespoons of olive oil, the minced rosemary and thyme leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Blend well and heat gently. Cut the chicken into serving pieces and serve the sauce on the side.

Steps:

• Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Remove the backbone and 1 inch of the breast bone with kitchen shears. Remove the wing tips and any large pockets of fat near the tail. Flip the bird over and use the heal of your hand to flatten the chicken. Rub the skin with oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.
• Cut 2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum to roughly 20 inches long each. Wrap each brick with foil, shiny-side out. Lightly oil the grill and add the bricks.
• Lightly oil the grate of the grill and add the bricks. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and maintain the temperature until bricks are hot.
• Turn off the middle burner and place the chicken over that area, flesh side down, on indirect heat. Place the bricks on the chicken and close the lid of the grill.
• Grill for 40 minutes. Remove the bricks, turn the chicken, and continue grilling until the skin is crispy, 5 to 10 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.