Pollo Al Mattone (Chicken Under A Brick)

Yield:

• Serves 4

Time:

• 1 hour, plus 20 minutes resting

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 1 small chicken (4-4.5 lbs), giblets discarded
• 4 t kosher salt, divided
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1½ t grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice, plus extra juice for seasoning
• 1 T minced fresh parsley
• 1½ t minced fresh rosemary
• 1½ t Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ t red pepper flakes
• ¼ t pepper

Instructions

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Individually wrap 2 bricks tightly in aluminum foil and set aside.
   
   
2. Spatchcock the chicken: place chicken breast side down on cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut through bones on either side of backbone. Trim off any excess fat and discard backbone (or use for stock).  Flip chicken over and press down hard on breastbone to flatten. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
   
   
3.  Using your fingers, carefully loosen skin covering breast and legs. Rub ¾ teaspoon salt under skin of each breast, ¾ teaspoon under skin of each leg, and 1 teaspoon salt onto bird’s cavity. Tuck wings under chicken and turn legs so drumsticks face inward toward breasts. (Chicken can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 24 hours. Pat dry with paper towels before cooking.)
   
   
4. Heat oil in 12-inch oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Swirl skillet to coat evenly with oil. Place chicken in skillet skin side down. Place bricks on top of chicken, making sure they are in even contact with breasts and legs, and press chicken firmly into skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Transfer skillet, with bricks still on chicken, to oven and roast for 20 minutes.
   
   
5. Remove skillet from oven and remove bricks. Using tongs and thin metal spatula, flip bird so it is skin side up (if necessary, run spatula under chicken to loosen from bottom of skillet). Return skillet to oven and continue to roast chicken (unweighted) until thickest part of breast registers 150 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes longer. 
   
   
6. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, parsley, rosemary, mustard, garlic, pepper flakes, and pepper in bowl.
   
   
7. Transfer chicken to carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Add any fat and pan juices to lemon mixture. Carve chicken and whisk any accumulated juices into vinaigrette. Season vinaigrette with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Serve chicken, passing vinaigrette and lemon wedges separately.
   

Notes:

• Ideally, use a weight that’s at least 8 pounds (two standard-size bricks, a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, or a Dutch oven), but one as light as 4 pounds will work. 
• We use Diamond Crystal kosher salt; if using Morton kosher salt, use only ½ teaspoon on each breast and leg. 
• It’s important to remove the chicken from the oven when it registers 150 degrees and rest it the full 20 minutes before serving; the chicken will continue to cook as it rests (a probe thermometer is ideal here). 
• Use an oven mitt or dish towel to safely grip and maneuver the hot bricks in step 4. If the skillet setup is too heavy to safely maneuver in steps 3 and 4, remove the weight just before transferring the skillet to the oven and replace before roasting, then remove it again before taking the skillet out.
  
• To make sure the chicken crisps on both sides, use ridged skillet or roasting rack to allow liquid to drain from chicken instead of puddling in skillet.  Alternatively, finish the bottom in a hot frying pan with a thin layer of oil. [Elwin Greenwald]
   
   

Source: Cooks' Illustrated, March-April 2026

Braised Tofu

Yield:

• 4 portions

Time:

• 50 minutes

Difficulty:

• Moderate

Ingredients

• 14 ounces firm tofu
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
• ½ cup broth or water 
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ cup vegetable oil for frying
• 4 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1½-inch pieces
• 1 (1 by ½-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced on bias ¼ inch thick
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin
• 3 ounces snow peas, strings removed
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. Cut tofu in half lengthwise, then slice each half crosswise into ½-inch-thick squares. Spread tofu on paper towel–lined plate and let drain for 10 minutes, replacing towel and flipping tofu halfway through draining. Meanwhile, whisk ½ cup water, broth, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, sugar, and white pepper in small bowl; set aside.
2.  Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add tofu in single layer and cook until bottom is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Using 2 thin spatulas, carefully flip tofu and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate lined with fresh paper towels. 
3. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons oil from skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add scallion whites and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture then tofu in single layer. Bring to simmer; cover; and cook for 5 minutes, adding carrots and mushrooms halfway through cooking. 
4. Uncover and add snow peas and scallion greens. Increase heat to high and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is just covering surface of pan and has begun to thicken, about 3 minutes. Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon water with cornstarch in small bowl. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Serve.

Notes:

• Add any vegetables you want.  Trimmed green beans are nice.
• Could be nice with fish chunks instead of tofu.  Coat with light coating of cornstarch before frying.
• If you find it a bit on the bland side (I did), increase the chili and the garlic.

Variations:

• If desired, garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with rice. To serve two, halve all of the ingredients and cook in a 10-inch skillet.

Source: Cooks' Illustrated, March-April 2026