Chicken Under a Brick

Serves 4.

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 whole chicken, butterflied (or cut up)

1 tablespoons butter

In a small bowl, mix together garlic, thyme, lemon zest, 1/3 cup olive oil, and some salt and pepper to taste.

Place whole, butterflied chicken or chicken pieces in a Ziploc bag or a shallow dish. Pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours to overnight, the longer the better.

After the chicken has marinated, remove from fridge. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wrap two large bricks in foil for weighing down the chicken. You can also use a heavy cast iron pot and wrap the bottom in foil. A skillet weighed down with cans also works.

Preheat a large, heavy, oven-proof pan on the stove top on high heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil and the tablespoon of butter. Heat until hot but not smoking or burning.

Remove chicken from marinade. Season with salt and pepper and pour lemon juice on top. Add to pan skin side down. Place bricks (or heavy pan) on top of chicken to weigh down. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes, until the skin has a nice golden brown sear. Transfer chicken, with bricks still on it, into oven and roast another 15 minutes. Remove weights, flip over chicken so it is skin side up, and roast until cooked through, about another 10 minutes. Serve warm.