Char-grilled chicken cooked under a brick recipe

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You're sure to rule the roost with this Tuscan-style crispy-skinned chargrilled chicken.

Preparation Time
30 minutes

Cooking Time
70 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

600g chat potatoes
1.6kg chicken, rinsed, patted dry with paper towel
6 cloves garlic
1 tbs finely chopped rosemary
125ml (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs oregano leaves
1 long red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
200g grape tomatoes
55g (1/3 cup) pitted kalamata olives, halved
1 1/2 tbs caramelised red wine vinegar (see note)
Lemons cheeks, to serve

Method

Wrap 2 bricks or the base of a heavy, ovenproof frying pan in foil. Place in the oven and preheat to 250C. Heat for at least 20 minutes or until needed.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a pan and add enough water to just cover. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool slightly, then cut in half. Using a fork, scrape cut surface of potatoes to roughen (this helps potatoes to crisp when fried). Cool completely.

To prepare chicken, place on a work surface. Using a sharp knife or poultry shears, cut down either side of the backbone to open body. Discard backbone. Turn chicken skin-side down, then cut in half along the breastbone. Using your fingers, remove rib bones and discard. Twist wings at the first joint to dislocate them, then cut through the joint and discard wing ends. Using a fork, prick chicken all over.

Roughly chop garlic, scatter over 1 tsp salt, then continue to chop to a paste. Place garlic mixture, rosemary and 80ml (1/3 cup) oil in a small bowl, then tear over 1 tbs oregano leaves. Carefully slide your fingers under the skin of each chicken half, then spread three-quarters of the herb mixture over flesh. Rub the remaining herb mixture all over the outside of chicken.

To cook chicken, heat a large chargrill or frying pan over medium heat. Place chicken halves, skin-side down, in pan, then immediately weigh down with hot bricks or another frying pan (if using frying pan, add 4 cans to pan to weigh down). Cook for 20 minutes or until skin is dark golden. Remove bricks, turn chicken over, replace bricks and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the juices of the chicken run clear when the thickest part of a thigh is pierced. Remove bricks and transfer chicken to a plate to rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tbs oil in a heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add potatoes, cut-side down, and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes or until cut side is golden. Turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes or until golden. Add chilli, tomatoes and olives. Toss for 1 minute or until tomatoes are softened slightly. Add vinegar. Toss to combine.

Spoon potato mixture onto a platter and top with chicken. Scatter with remaining 1 tbs oregano leaves and serve with lemon cheeks.

Notes

Known as pollo al mattone, this is a traditional Tuscan way of cooking chicken. Flattened by the weight of the bricks, the chicken cooks quickly and develops a lovely crisp skin. Ideally, you should use two bricks, but you could use a heavy frying pan, weighted with food cans, instead.

Tips: Caramelised red wine vinegar is from harris Farm markets and delis. substitute red wine vinegar and 1 tsp caster sugar. to cook chicken on a barbecue, preheat barbecue to medium, add chicken and weigh down with preheated, foil-covered bricks. Follow the cooking times for the stove-top version above.

Source
MasterChef - July 2011, Page 59
Recipe by Sophia Young

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