Brick Chicken

What do you do when you only want to cook half a chicken? You buy a half bird from Piccalilli Farm and put a brick on it! (Seriously!) There’s more than one way to a crispy skin, and here’s an easy way to get there when you’re only cooking for two. As with all things, this one is easy to modify and alter to suit your pantry and tastes.

Brick Chicken (Dry Brine + Brick = Crispy Skin)

At least 1-2 DAYs BEFORE you plan on cooking the bird rub it down with roughly ¾ tsp of salt per pound. 

Bonus points: a few tsp Szechuan peppercorns  crushed with the salt, or stuff a few sprigs of oregano and some butter under the skin

Rub the salt and spice mixture all over the outside of the chicken.

Leave the bird on a rack (resting on a pan to catch the juice) and stick it in the fridge UNCOVERED for 8-48 hours.  The skin will dry out nicely. (= crispy)

Sear and Roast!

1. Rub the outside of the bird down with some softened butter, lard, oil, or a combination therein.  We are big proponents of sticking a few small pieces of butter under the skin on the breast too.

2. Place a large cast iron or heavy stainless pan on a burner over medium heat, and add a couple of generous tablespoons lard or oil to the pan (it should be hot, but not smoking hot.

3. Place the half-chicken skin-side down in the warm skillet and place the brick (or any heavy, flat, oven-safe item – but a brick is more fun!) on top of the bird cook on the stove-top for about 5-7 minutes, then place in the pre-heated oven at 500. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.

4. After 10 minutes, remove the brick, and turn the chicken over. Continue cooking until the thermometer inserted by the thigh reads 165-170. (Usually 15-30 minutes)

5. When you turn over the bird it’s a good time to maybe throw some carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, radishes or any sort of root vegetable around the bird so they can roast in all the juices as u continue to cook. with your turnips and radishes, you can include the tops to get your greens in .

6. Let the bird rest (tented with some foil) for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.  Hopefully the veggies that were under the bird are done too but a keep them going in the oven if they need some more time. 

Put it all on a platter with some bread on the side for all the good juices :)