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Chicken Under a Brick in a black cast iron skillet with lemons.
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5 from 12 votes

Pollo al Mattone { Chicken Under A Brick}

The chicken is butterflied, seasoned with herbs then flattened on a grill with a cast-iron skillet. The skillet does double duty by roasting the potatoes. This method ensures a crispy skin, moist meat that is evenly grilled.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 385kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound russet potatoes cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
  • 1 3 to 4 pound whole chicken
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
  • Freshly ground black pepper and Kosher salt
  • 12 fresh herb sprigs we used 3 each of thyme, rosemary,sage, tarragon
  • 2 lemons halved

Instructions

  • Remove and discard giblets and neck from the chicken and rinse the bird thoroughly under cold water.Pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board. Remove excess skin, fat, the wing tip and the little tail part at the bottom. Keeping the chicken in the same position, slide your knife on either side of the neck, pull it back and cut that portion off. Using kitchen shears, cut chicken down the center of the backbone.Open the chicken as you would a book. Turn the chicken, breast side down, and using a sharp knife make a slit on either side of the keel bone, then bend breasts back to spread the cuts. Once the keel bone is loose, separate it from the skin and then pull out. Put the chicken on platter and rub with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. The chicken should be breast side down on the platter. Place the herbs in the cavity side of the chicken and cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until you're ready to start the grill.You can prepare the chicken several hours ahead of time.
  • When you're ready, heat 1 side of grill to 300 F to 350 F (medium) heat; leave other side unlit. Remove chicken from refrigerator.
  • Once the grill is ready heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet on the lit side of grill for 10 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to hot skillet; place potatoes in skillet and season with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to the unlit side of the grill.
  • Slide the prepared chicken, breast side down, over the lit side of grill. Place the cast iron skillet with potatoes on the chicken to flatten it. Grill, covered with grill lid, for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove the skillet. Transfer the chicken to the unlit side of the grill. Place the cast iron skillet on the chicken. Grill, covered with grill lid, for 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion of breast registers 165 F. Remove the chicken from the grill, and let it stand for 5 minutes. (For crisper skin, place the chicken on the lit side of the grill, and grill, without the grill lid, 5 minutes or until crisp.)
  • Meanwhile, place lemons, cut side down, on lit side of grill, and grill covered with grill lid, about 5 minutes or until charred and softened. Serve chicken with potatoes and charred lemon.

Notes

  • Note: You can find additional pictures and instructions on how to butterfly a chicken and how to prepare a grill for indirect heat in previous posts. Follow the links in this post.
  • Inspired by Southern Living - October 2014 "Cast Iron Love"

Nutrition

Calories: 385kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 345IU | Vitamin C: 28.1mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2.1mg