It’s glorious here in the Midwest this time of year; yes, it’s hot and yes, the bugs are out in full force, but nearly every day is blue sky and white clouds. Our gardens grow abundantly (as do the weeds!), the new pond is balanced and both fish and plants are happy; the bees have settled in and are doing their ‘bee thing’ – in and out of the hives all day long collecting pollen and making honey; we’ll get our first harvest this fall.
On our way home from Big Traveling Potluck this past April, The Professor and I stayed overnight at The Lodge at Torrey Pines where we enjoyed some of the best Brick Chicken we’ve ever had; in fact, we haven’t stopped talking about it and wanted to recreate something similar at home.
The Torrey Pines version uses heavier spices but since it’s grilling season, we thought a lemon-rosemary based recipe would be nice. A quick overnight marinade, then 30-minutes on the grill under a foil-wrapped brick and you’ll have a bright, lemony chicken with perfectly charred skin. I served roasted cauliflower and a simple green salad with ours but honestly, any summer sides will do.
Break open a chilled bottle of white wine and invite a few friends over
Cheers!
Don’t let the word ‘Spatchcocked’ freak you out; besides being a fun word to say, all it means is that the back of the chicken is cut away from the legs, thighs and breast, then spread the chicken out to lay flat – save the back pieces until you have enough to make stock.
SPATCHCOCKED BRICK LEMON CHICKEN
Makes one chicken
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 chicken (3-4 pounds), spatchcocked (see note above)
- Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons, zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, halved
METHOD:
- Salt each side of the chicken
- Prepare a marinade by mixing olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and pepper
- Pour the lemon marinade into a resealable gallon-sized bag and place the chicken inside; zip close and massage the marinade into the chicken, then place the zipped bag onto a plate or rimmed sheet pan. Refrigerate overnight
- When ready to grill, remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels; discard any remaining marinade
- Place the chicken skin side up, onto prepared grill and weigh it down with a brick wrapped in aluminum foil; cook for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken skin side down, weigh it down again with the brick, and cook for another 15 minutes
- When 10 minutes of cooking remains, place the lemon halves on the grill, cut side down. Remove the chicken, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes
- Sprinkle with salt and serve with the grilled lemon halves
Love your appreciation of the high summer weather. I have been complaining too much! This chicken looks heavenly. I’m always looking for a new way to cook our favorite protein. This looks perfect.