Poussin Sotto Mattone Or Baby Chicken Cooked Under A Brick Recipes

POLLO AL MATTONE: CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mince the garlic and parsley and combine with the zest, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Wash the chicken under cold running water and dry. With poultry shears, remove the wing tips, any excess fat, and cut out the backbone. Put them aside for stock. You may want to remove the ribs and breastbone, too. Mix together the marinade ingredients. Lay the chicken flat, skin side up. Stuff the garlic mixture under the skin, place in the marinade, then cover and marinate for a few hours or, even better, overnight. Turn two or three times.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron pan large enough to hold the chicken (I use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet). Place the chicken skin side down and weigh it down with the two clean bricks wrapped in foil. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then place the skillet and bricks in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, after which you'll remove the weights and turn the chicken over, cooking another 10 minutes or so, until done. Cut into serving- sized pieces.

POUSSIN AL MATTONE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Combine the cumin, pimenton, 1 of the garlic cloves, the rosemary, lemon zest, half of the lemon juice, the red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch salt in a small bowl. Gently massage the spice rub all over the bird, being careful not to tear the skin.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the poussin with salt, and place in the pan, skin-side down. Lay the foil-wrapped brick on top of the bird to press it into the pan. Cook the poussin until the skin is a lovely dark golden brown, about 7 minutes. Flip the bird and continue to cook, without the brick, until the internal temperature has reached at least 150 degrees F, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Transfer the poussin to a parchment paper-lined sheet tray and continue to cook in the oven until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, remove the excess fat from the saute pan and pour in the white wine, remaining lemon juice and garlic. Scrap up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and cook over high heat until the wine has reduced by more than half. Add the chicken stock and simmer until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Arrange the poussin on a plate, and spoon the juices on top.

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.