Chicken Under A Brick With Avocados And Chiles Food

CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• Spatchcock the chicken: Use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone from the chicken. Lay the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board and use a large knife to cut through the breastbone. Push the chicken down to flatten it out. Cut the wings off at the third joint (at the wing tip). Now locate the thigh bone. Use a small and sharp knife to cut the flesh off away from the bone, working all the way down to the joint. Once you're at the joint, bend the thigh bone back until you hear it pop and use your knife again to help remove the thigh bone completely. Repeat with the remaining thigh bone.
• Turn the chicken over, blot it dry and refrigerate on a large plate or baking sheet, uncovered, overnight to dry out the skin (this will help make it extra crispy). If you have to skip this step, then dry the chicken as best you can with paper towels and refrigerate, uncovered, for as long as you can.
• Sprinkle the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large 12-inch cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Lay the chicken, skin-side down, in the skillet. Add the garlic and herbs to the skillet. Now use either 2 bricks wrapped in foil or another heavy, slightly smaller skillet filled with large cans (tomato cans work nicely) directly on top of the chicken. Cook, leaving the chicken mostly undisturbed, checking every once in a while to make sure the skin is browning evenly and not getting too dark too quickly, and adjusting the heat as needed, until almost all of the meat is white (except for the very top of the breast) and the skin is a deep golden brown and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the bricks or weighted skillet and turn the chicken over using tongs and/or a spatula, being careful not to rip the skin. Continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Remove the chicken and let rest for a few minutes before carving. Serve with lemon wedges.

CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the cumin, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, garlic, oregano and lemon zest and juice. Drizzle in olive oil until the mixture becomes a paste. Place one half of the chicken into a large bowl (reserve the other half chicken for another use) and massage with the spice mixture. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature (or up to 12 hours in the fridge; if refrigerating the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator 45 minutes to 1 hour before cooking to let the chicken come to room temperature).
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay the marinated chicken in the pan, skin-side down. Oil the bottom of another large saute pan, lay it on top of the chicken and place bricks or weights in the second saute pan. Cook the chicken until the skin starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes.
• Remove the pans from the oven and remove the weights and top pan. At this point the skin should be lovely and dark brown. Check the chicken for doneness; it should be cooked through but still succulent and juicy. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter.
• Remove the excess fat from the pan and add the white wine. Cook over high heat until the wine has reduced by more than half. Add the chicken stock, season with salt and reduce by half.
• Spoon the juices over the chicken and sprinkle with chives.

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

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.

CHICKEN UNDER A " BRICK" WITH ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• Technique: Butterfly a chicken by cutting along the length of one side of the backbone. Turn chicken and cut along the other side of backbone and remove it. Turn chicken breast side up and flatten chicken with the palm of your hand. Then pound it with the flat side of a mallet to a fairly even thickness. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat oven to 450°F.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a heavy bottomed 12-inch ovenproof nonstick pan over med-high heat until it begins to smoke. Swirl oil to coat the pan. Place the chicken skin side down in the pan and reduce heat to med. Place the weight on the chicken and cook until evenly brown for about 25 minutes, checking every 5 minutes or so. The chicken should be fairly crisp and brown after 20 minutes, if not turn up to med-high heat and continue to cook until well-browned.
• Mix the remaining oil, garlic, 1 1/2 tsp thyme, rosemary, pepper flakes, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a small bowl.
• Using tongs, carefully transfer chicken to a plate with the skin side up.
• Pour off any fat from pan and add the potatoes, sprinkling them with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper and the remaining thyme. Place the chicken skin side up on the potatoes and brush the skin with the thyme-lemon juice mixture.
• Transfer pan to oven and roast until the thickest part of the breast registers 160°F on a meat thermometer 10-15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
• Return the potatoes to the oven and roast until browned and cooked through about 10 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a large bowl leaving fat behind. Toss the potatoes with parsley. Cut the chicken in to pieces and serve with lemon wedges.

CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• Prepare grill for high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on 1 side of grill; for a gas grill, leave 1 or 2 burners off).
• Place chicken on work surface, skin side up. Using your palms, press firmly on breastbone to flatten breast.
• Rub chicken with oil; season with salt and pepper. Tuck wings slightly under breast. Place chicken, skin side down, over indirect heat, set bricks on top, and grill, covered, until skin is golden and crisp, 25-30 minutes. Using tongs, remove bricks; turn chicken, skin side up. Replace bricks and continue grilling until chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 25-30 minutes longer.

CHICKENS UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• Rinse chickens inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Butterfly the chickens by removing the spine, flattening the birds with your hand and removing the breast bone with a small sharp knife or your fingers. Then firmly but gently pound them flat with the side of a cleaver or a small iron skillet. Remove and discard the wing tips and fold the wings back. Tuck the legs into the skin surrounding the vent by making neat slits at the point where the leg end can easily be inserted.
• Heat a stove-top grill large enough to cover two burners and brush the chickens very lightly with oil. Add salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, reduce the flame to medium and lay the chickens skin side down on the grill above each burner. Move the chickens gently with tongs until they begin to sear, to be sure they don't stick to the grill. Cover each with a heavy, flat-bottomed object large enough to cover the entire chicken. You can use 8-quart stockpots or their equivalent filled with water, 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillets or flat bricks (covered with foil).
• In about 5 or 6 minutes the chicken will begin to brown. If not, raise the flame. If the chickens have begun to burn, turn them over, replace the weights and reduce the flame. At this stage you will be making your own decision based on empirical data. The result should be a rich mahogany finish and an intense chicken flavor.