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Chef John's Brick Pressed Chicken

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PREP TIME
10 min
COOKING TIME
40 min
TOTAL TIME
70 min
SERVINGS
6 servings
Dinner Italian
Chef John's Brick Pressed Chicken
Ingredients
  • 1 (3 1/2) pound whole chicken, wings removed
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch herbes de Provence, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or as needed
  • 2 heavy clay bricks, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil
Instructions
1
Firstly, preheat the oven to a high temperature of 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2
To begin preparing the chicken, utilize kitchen shears to carefully cut both sides of its backbone. Remove the backbone and discard it.
3
Then, use a sharp knife to cut through the breastbone from the inside, allowing the chicken to fold out like a book and lay flat.
4
Next, sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper to season it. Additionally, sprinkle herbes de Provence on the inside of the chicken for extra flavor.
5
Allow the chicken to sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before proceeding. After this time, gently pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
6
Now, brush the skin-side of the chicken with oil and season it once more with salt and black pepper.
7
Heat a skillet that is ovenproof and made of cast iron over high heat until it reaches an extremely hot state, approximately 5 minutes.
8
Place the chicken in the skillet, skin-side down, and position bricks evenly on top to weigh it down.
9
Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the bricks, flip the chicken over, and continue roasting until its juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink at the bone.
10
Check the chicken's internal temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone. The temperature should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
11
Finally, preheat the oven's broiler and broil the chicken until its skin is crispy and golden, 1 to 3 minutes.