Chicken Under a Brick Recipe (2024)

500 degrees for a non-stick skillet? Most are not rated for over 450

My oven was on the fritz, so did not heat pan in oven. Instead heated pan on high heat, then seared chicken in pan on stove, as per recipe. After a few minutes on high heat, turned electric cook top down to low, and left simmering for roughly an hour. The result was to die for. Think this method is ultimately easier than Mark's - and that's what I'm all about.

Adding to your comment re 500 degrees: ALL non-stick pans should stay below 450 degrees , NONE should ever be preheated for 3 minutes! Heavy-duty preheat is for cast iron only.

I made this on my grill last week. The recipe does not make enough rub. I will double the herb rub next time I make it.

Just realized upon closer reading that the chicken preparation is essentially spatchco*cking! Tried this recipe out, and while it's not bad, it's not my favorite roasted chicken recipe either. The chicken sits in too much of its own juices in the skillet and ends up steaming, so it ends up soggier than traditional roasted chicken.

I make this all the time, but on my gas grill with medium indirect heat.

Pollo al Mattone! may have originated in small town outside of Florence. originally, terra cotta pots were used; over time morphed into travertine bricks. (yes, i have one!) another story is that it was an ancient Roman tradition - as politicians in the U.S. would promise a "chicken in every pot", some of the emperors promised a "chicken under every brick(rock)". i use crushed red pepper flakes too. btw put the brick in the oven to warm up 1st. game hens are perfect for this!

Why not just call this spatchco*cking a chicken? Before you advocate high temps on nonstick cookware, please read the guidance on chemours.com. They specifically advise NOT using nonstick cookware at temperatures used for broiling meat, 500-500F. Just cook this dish in any roasting pam/fry pan that is not coated with a nonstick material. The significant quantity of fat and water that is rendered from a whole chicken while cooking prevents it from sticking. Cast iron perfect.

Nice recipe. Was looking for one to do this at home in the oven b/c I live in an apartment. As far as commentators here. Spatchco*cking is a way to prepare a chicken, much like rough chop vs julienne cuts. This cooking method is widely refereed to as "Brick Chicken" which is what I googled.Also a Teflon Saute Pan is not a skillet. A skillet to anyone who ever worked in a kitchen is cast iron. Completely coated in oil that's cooked onto the pan(seasoned). Look at the pic...

I doubled the marinade recipe so I'd have enough to cover the chicken and then altered the temp/cooking time everywhere. I seared the chicken for 8 minutes on medium-high heat in my cast iron skillet and then transferred to a 400* oven. I did 15 minutes with the bricks on and skin-side down and then took out and flipped over before cooking for another 12 minutes. My chicken was 5.1 pounds and was perfectly finished.

I make this chicken often, when I was living in a private home, I made it on my gas grill with a brick wrapped in aluminum foil. Now I make it in my cast iron skillet and brown it skin down then turn over and place a foil covered brick on it or another heavy skillet - about twenty minutes before it is done, I add quartered potatoes and small shallots seasoned with salt and pepper to roast in the chicken fat./olive oil - yummo

I've been making a similar recipe from Sunset Magazine for years. One difference, which I very highly recommend, is to add a tablespoon of lemon zest to the rosemary and garlic that gets stuffed under the skin. The Sunset recipe also calls for marinated the chicken in a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil before grilling or pan roasting.

I badly burned my hand making this, using brand new oven mitts which were not thick enough to protect from such a hot cast iron pan. It is irresponsible to ask home cooks to use 500 degree ovens when home cooking equipment is not of the same standard as that in restaurants. If you are writing for home cooks, keep that in minds do give appropriate warnings at the very least.

I did an 8 pound roasting chicken using this technique and used lime, fresh sage and rosemary on and under the skin. Put the chicken into a heated and oiled 9x15 aluminum roasting pan and rested that on the hot pizza stone in the oven. Then placedu a hot 12" cast iron skillet on top to weight the chicken down. It did not take an hour to bring the chicken to perfection.

I made this recipe tonight, but started the process two days ago, marinating the chicken, doubling the marinade, as one commenter suggested, and lemon and red pepper flakes. It was the best - and tastiest I've ever made it. I used an Empire Kosher chicken, which is brined, and therefore more tasty than any other super market chicken. I would hardly call the marination optional and two days is better than one day. I also cooked it longer at each stage. With those caveats, it turned out great

Great. Pretty easy and quick with really crispy skin. Cooked in the amount of time recommended. Could use a link to how to remove the spine. Also next time will make in a larger pan so I can include the yummy spine / sacrum.

Great on a charcoal grill as well!

This is simple and delicious. Makes a stunning meal for a dinner party. I added more salt then the recipe stated

Delicious! This is my favorite new way to cook chicken. I used a seasoned cast iron pan with two additional cast iron pans sitting on top as weights. The end result was evenly cooked, juicy, flavorful, and looks really impressive. One note, next time I’ll likely double the quantity of rosemary and garlic and be more generous with the salt. Excited to add this to my permanent rotation.

I've made this before and liked it. I always ordered it at any restaurant that offered it. I followed the timing instructions, but the chicken was a bit rubbery, although neither overcooked or undercooked. It was very juicy. mystery. Maybe it was that particular chicken. I subbed thyme, which I prefer, for the rosemary.

So good! And easily adaptable. I agree with others not to use a nonstick at such high temp. I used a 12” skillet and my trusty 10” cast iron. I had a pretty big bird so I preheated my cast iron and a brick. I didn’t have rosemary, but a handful of lemon basil from the garden and harissa mixed with butter tucked under the skin did the trick. I’ll be playing with this a lot!

Use a cast iron pan and enough oil so that the chicken doesn't stick. Cast iron is fine at 500 degrees. Be sure to use herbs or it doesn't have much taste. Fresh rosemary is great.

Great recipe. Only deviation was to add some Dijon mustard, will definitely add in the future. Doubled recipe and kept some aside to pour over chicken after it was cooked, which everyone raved about. Will try with shrimp, but will add marinade shortly before cooking instead and keep some aside to pour over after cooking as before.

I made this with cast iron skillets, so no problems with heat. I also deglazed the pan with a mix of wine & balsamic vinegar to get some sauce. Yum

I have mastered chicken under a brick. I liberally oil a cast oil pan. That changed everything. Otherwise I cook exactly as described. Maybe a little more garlic. But I put more garlic in everything. Love this dish

use a cast iron pan. results are amazing!

Cast iron works beautifully here. Also Scanpan is rated to 500 degrees.This is a wonderful recipe. I've made it three times. But holy cow, the smoke in the house! It set off the smoke detectors last night - so beware.I do my own spice mixture and change it virtually every time, depending what I have on hand. Dried thyme is always an excellent choice.

This works swell - but every time the breast skin rips off... What to do.I may reverse the game and cook it first breast up and then oven time, we shall see...

Delicious and relatively easy...I used a flat cast iron grill sheet in oven and another large (approx 10-12 inches) cast iron flat skillet as the weight on top of the chicken.Preheated both, placed chicken (very carefully) on the flat grill sheet and the flat skillet on top. Just be careful as these things are HOT