Chicken Under A Brick

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, fryer preferred, butterflied
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 gallon cold water
• 1 shallot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup hot chicken stock or 1/2 cup hot water
• 3 -4 tablespoons butter, cut in to 1/2 tablespoon slices

Recipe

• 1 brine:mix brine ingredients in a large container, rinse chicken in cold water and place in brine.
• 2 be sure the entire chicken is covered.
• 3 let stand in fridge for 4 hours.
• 4 if you don't have room you can place in a cooler with ice, or even put ice right in with the brine (cut back on the water a bit).
• 5 rub mixture: mince shallot and garlic with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with sugar, salt and pepper.
• 6 rinse chicken with cold water, pat dry, spread rub mixture under the skin of the bird all over the breast, thighs and drumsticks.
• 7 rub remaining oil all over chicken and season heavily with salt and pepper.
• 8 put the chicken on an oiled wire rack in the sheet pan, place uncovered, in the bottom of your fridge for 12-48 hours.
• 9 this step can be skipped, but does yield better flavor and very crisp skin.
• 10 30 minutes before roasting, remove chicken from the fridge, place cast iron pan and brick in the oven.
• 11 preheat oven to 450°f.
• 12 remove pan and brick, place chicken, skin side down into the pan, lightly oil the brick with a wad of paper towels, place chicken in the oven then put the brick on the chicken.
• 13 cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until the thigh meat reaches 170°f and the breast meat reaches 165°f.
• 14 remove brick, remove pan from oven.
• 15 carefully pry the bird loose and put on a warmed dish to rest for 15 minutes or so.
• 16 sauce:while the bird is resting, dump fat from the pan and add stock or water to the pan and place over high heat.
• 17 scrape gently to remove all fond.
• 18 continue to boil until liquid is reduced to about one half the amount you started with.
• 19 remove from heat and whisk butter in piece at a time until the sauce starts to look glossy and thickens slightly.
• 20 the amount of butter you'll use will vary depending on the liquid and amount of fat in the pan.
• 21 if you put too much butter in the sauce will 'break' or separate.
• 22 this is a dangerous sauce, too good for words.
• 23 carve and serve!
• 24 as well as being a fantastic source of steady heat, the weight of the brick ensures constant contact with the hot pan and yields a very nice, caramelized, skin.
• 25 extra richness is insured as the bird is cooked in it's own juices.