Italian Roast Chicken Under a Brick (Pollo al Mattone) Recipe

For the crispiest skin in no time at all, roast or grill your chicken under something heavy, like a brick.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Senior Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated Jan. 09, 2022
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Photograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video
3:57

How to Make Chicken Under a Brick

Why It Works

  • Sandwiching the chicken between two hot, heavy surfaces produces the crispiest skin, in a remarkably short cooking time.
  • Mincing the aromatics in the marinade boosts their flavor.

Chicken under a brick (pollo al mattone) is a method for making roast or grilled chicken that delivers some of the crispiest skin ever, with an even shorter cooking time than a more traditional roast bird. This recipe works no matter what equipment you have at home (see the "Special Equipment" section for more info).

Recipe Facts

5

(2)

Active: 15 mins
Total: 90 mins
Serves: 4 servings

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (120ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • Juice and zest of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons; 30ml juice), zest finely minced, plus lemon wedges for serving

  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • Needles from one 8-inch rosemary sprig, finely minced

  • Leaves from 1 large sage sprig (about 8 leaves), finely minced

  • 4 medium cloves garlic, finely minced

  • One 4- to 5-pound (1.8 to 2.3kg) chicken

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Cooking spray, such as Pam, or other neutral oil, for greasing the equipment

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice and zest, red pepper flakes, rosemary, sage, and garlic.

  2. Using sharp kitchen shears or poultry shears, remove spine from chicken (reserve spine for stock or another use). Flatten chicken by placing it skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to the breastbone. Transfer to a baking dish, season all over with salt and pepper, add marinade, and rub all over chicken. Cover dish with plastic. Marinate, refrigerated, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

  3. Preheat oven, along with all cooking equipment for whichever setup you're using, including skillets, foil-wrapped bricks, chicken press, barbell weight, et cetera (see the "Special Equipment" section below for more info), to 475°F (245°C).

  4. Scrape marinade and minced aromatics off chicken as best you can. Using cooking spray or oil, grease the interior of the bottom skillet/roasting vessel. Lay chicken down in skillet, skin side up, arranging it so that it lies flat.

  5. Using cooking spray or oil, grease the bottom of the top weight. (Depending on your setup, this could be one side of the foil-wrapped bricks, or the bottom of the second skillet or chicken-press weight.) Press the top weight down on the chicken, making sure it evenly covers it and is in contact with both the breast and the legs.

  6. Transfer to oven and cook until thickest part of breast, close to bone, registers 150°F (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes.

  7. Remove chicken from oven, remove top weight, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Carve and serve with lemon wedges, drizzling fresh olive oil over chicken at the table.

Special equipment

Perhaps the easiest approach is to use two regular bricks wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil as the weights, with a skillet below. Or you can use two large aluminum, cast iron, or stainless steel skillets, or an Italian chicken press. If you're using lightweight aluminum skillets, it helps to add a five- or 10-pound barbell weight (also preheated) to the top one to press it down onto the chicken better. If you're using cast iron, stainless steel, or aluminum, make sure the exterior of the top skillet is not treated with any kind of special finish or enamel—it should just be plain aluminum, stainless steel, or cast iron all over. To spatchcock the chicken, use kitchen shears or poultry shears. And don't forget to test for doneness with an instant-read thermometer.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
348 Calories
25g Fat
2g Carbs
27g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 348
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 107mg 36%
Sodium 710mg 31%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 5mg 25%
Calcium 27mg 2%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 266mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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