Inspired by Alice Waters' Pollo al Mattone from The Art of Simple Food, this quick-cook method for chicken-under-a-brick yields exceptionally crispy skin! Use any number of our spice blends to make this chicken suit whatever meal you're making. This is a no measurements recipe - quick, easy and fit for company.
INGREDIENTS
1 boneless, skin-on chicken breast per serving
Olive oil of choice: House Blend, Olio Santo, Lisbon Lemon, Blood Orange, Garlic, Rosemary, etc.
Spice blend of choice: Chipotle Honey, Jalapeno Lime, Harissa, Zhug, OMG, Napa Valley Blend, Herbs de Provence or others!
Maldon Sea Salt, for finishing
Season chicken breasts well olive oil and the spice blend of your choice. Let them marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Select a cast-iron skillet large enough to hold all the chicken. Place it over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add a tablespoon of olive oil, then quickly and carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, skin-side down -- all the skin should be in contact with the skillet.
Wrap another skillet of the same size -- or brick(s) -- with aluminum foil to use as a weight. Place the foil-wrapped skillet on top of the chicken. This will further press all of the skin into contact with the hot skillet below to give it that extra crispiness. Adjust the heat so that the chicken is sizzling at medium. The aim is to thoroughly brown and crisp the skin and render some of the fat without burning the skin or overcooking the meat. Lift the weight and check the skin after a few minutes to see how it’s doing. If it’s darkening very quickly, lower the heat a bit. If the skin is still pale, raise the heat a little. By the time the skin is well-browned and crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes, the meat should be nearly cooked through.
At that point, remove the weight and carefully turn the chicken over with tongs. Spoon off some of the rendered fat if you like, and add one last final sprinkle of spices to really make their flavor pop. Cook for a few minutes more to finish. Do not place the weight back on the skin side or it will lose its crispiness! Drain on paper towels for a few minutes if you prefer. Serve over a bed of rice or couscous with Stonehouse Everything Herb Sauce (our spin on chimichurri) and a sprinkle of crunchy Maldon Sea Salt!
