Brick Grilled Chicken

Brick Grilled Chicken

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated zest from 1 lemon, plus 2 tablespoons juice
  • Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • course salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 whole chicken
  • vegetable oil for cooking grate

Directions:

  1. Combine oil, garlic, lemon zest, and pepper flakes in small saucepan.
  2. Bring to simmer, stirring frequently, over medium-low heat, about 3 minutes.
  3. Once simmering, add 3 teaspoons thyme and 2 teaspoons rosemary and cook 30 seconds longer.
  4. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over small bowl, pushing on solids to extract oil. Transfer solids to small bowl and cool; set oil and solids aside.
  5. Butterfly chicken, flatten breastbone, and tuck wings behind back.
  6. Using fingers, loosen skin over breast and thighs and remove any excess fat.
  7. Combine 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl.
  8. Mix 3 teaspoons salt mixture with cooled garlic solids.
  9. Spread salt-garlic mixture evenly under skin over chicken breast and thighs.
  10. Sprinkle remaining teaspoon salt mixture on exposed meat of bone side.
  11. Place chicken skin-side up on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
  12. Wrap 2 bricks tightly in aluminum foil (Or use a cast iron skillet in place of the bricks.) and place on hot grill. Heat until very hot, about 15 minutes. Scrape cooking grate clean.
  13. Place chicken skin-side down on a moderately hot grill and place hot bricks (or cast iron pan) lengthwise over each breast half, and cook until skin is lightly browned and faint grill marks appear, 22 to 25 minutes.
  14. Remove bricks from chicken.
  15. Using tongs, grip legs and flip chicken.  Place bricks over breast, and cook until chicken is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
  16. Remove bricks, flip chicken skin-side down over hot grates, and cook until chicken skin is well crisped and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes.
  17. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
  18. Whisk lemon juice and remaining thyme and rosemary into reserved oil; season with salt and pepper.
  19. Carve chicken and serve, passing sauce separately.