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