Chicken Under a Brick/Rock
You truly cannot beat this preparation! The weight of the bricks allows the skin to crisp up beautifully. Marinating ahead of time also keeps the chicken so moist and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 large bone-in split chicken breasts, skin on
- Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
- 1 TBSP finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 garlic gloves, minced
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 heavy bricks or rocks rinsed cleaned and wrapped in aluminum foil
Directions
- Step 1 Season the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper.
- Step 2 Finely chop the fresh rosemary and mix in a small bowl with minced garlic and 1 TBSP of olive oil. Rub the mixture all over the chicken evenly, making sure to tuck underneath the skin as well.
- Step 3 Cover and marinate the prepared breasts and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight if time allows. This step is important for the flavor and keeps the chicken so moist!
- Step 4 When you are ready to cook, bring the chicken to room temperature and preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Heat remaining olive oil (1 TBSP) in a cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Place the chicken, skin-side down in the skillet and place bricks on top of the chicken, pressing down to flatten the chicken.
- Step 5 Cook for 5 minutes over high heat and then transfer the skillet to the oven. You will need some serious elbow grease to lift this pan, be careful! Make sure that your oven racks are positioned far enough apart to leave enough space for the bricks to fit.
- Step 6 Roast in the oven for 15 minutes until the skin is crispy, then remove the bricks and turn chicken over. Roast for an additional 10 minutes in the oven.
- Step 7 Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate for serving and drizzle with additional olive oil.
This recipe is one of our all time favorites, so it was a no-brainer that we would kick off our blog with this. We’d seen chicken under a brick on restaurant menus over the years and were intrigued/intimated by the concept. It wasn’t easy to wrap our head around the thought of cooking with a brick! But, we got inspired one day and thought we’d give it a shot. It’s not always easy to find bricks for this recipe, so in a pinch, a rock about the size of a brick (ours was from our backyard!) will also do the trick.
Just remember to clean it and wrap it in tinfoil before using.
If you have the time, I’d highly recommend marinating the chicken over night, this will keep the chicken super moist. When it come times to cook, we always turn to our trusty cast-iron skillet (just make sure you have a partner in crime handy to help you open the oven – this pan’s about to get heavy!). The goal is to get the skin as crispy as possible – if you do, this is a home run dish and sure to impress! We paired our chicken with kohlrabi mash and Brussels sprouts, but a nice roasted potato will also go well.
I'm Amanda - a Mom, chef & blogger with a wholehearted approach to cooking and life. Things are always a little crazy around here with two toddlers underfoot, but nothing brings me greater joy than welcoming you into into my kitchen (and our home)! Learn more about me 