Chicken al Mattone, or “Brick Chicken” might be the fastest and best way to prepare a delicious chicken dinner. The first step is to spatchcock or butterfly the bird. Regardless of which terminology suits you, all this means is to flip the bird over, breast side down and cut along each side of the backbone with your trusty kitchen shears (what do you mean you don’t have shears?!) to remove it. Then, flip it over, breast side up and press down on the chicken to flatten it so that the entire surface is the same thickness.
You are now ready to season or marinate the beast, and this is where it gets good. Shut down your browser and step away from the computer. File the cookbooks, close your eyes and get Phil Jackson-Zen for a minute. You don’t need Emeril Lagasse to tell you that chicken always tastes great with olive oil, lemon (juice or zest), garlic and fresh rosemary. No rosemary on hand? Go with thyme, sage, parsley or basil, whatever. Feeling the sweet heat vibe? Rock a cumin, cayenne, crushed red pepper and honey-Sriracha wet rub. Everyone knows Asian flavors rock, so the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and sesame oil route is always a winner. Hopefully, you get the picture – you really can’t blow it, and you can gain a lot of confidence by going with the flow, and with what you have on hand.
Once the chicken has soaked up the marinade (at least 3 hours but way better overnight), it’s “brick time.” Snag a regular, red brick (or two) and wrap securely in tin foil and set that bad boy aside. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees and season the chicken with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat up a good glug of grapeseed or olive oil to medium-high in a skillet, and cook for 6 - 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Do not flip the chicken over, and place the brick crosswise on top of the bird. Roast for 25 minutes in the oven. Lift the brick and turn the chicken over. Put the brick back on top of the bird and continue roasting for about 12 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the thick of the thigh is pierced. Let it rest for 5 minutes and dig in. I’ve never fed this dish to anyone who didn’t love it.
