Chef John's Chicken Under A Brick

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• 1 (3 1/2) pound whole chicken, wings removed
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch herbes de provence, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, or as needed
• 2 heavy clay bricks, wrapped tightly in aluminum foil

Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 40 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 10 mins


• use kitchen shears to cut down both sides of the backbone. remove backbone and discard. cut through breastbone from the inside until chicken folds out like a book and lays flat.
• season chicken all over with salt and black pepper, and sprinkle herbes de provence on the inside. let chicken sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature; pat dry with paper towels. brush skin-side of chicken with oil and season again with salt and black pepper.
• heat an oven-proof cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. place chicken, skin-side down, in hot skillet and place bricks evenly on top to weigh down chicken.
• roast chicken in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. remove bricks, turn chicken over, and continue roasting until juices run clear and meat is no longer pink at the bone, 5 to 15 minutes more. an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees f (74 degrees c).
• preheat the oven's broiler and broil the chicken until skin is crispy and golden, 1 to 3 minutes.