Chicken Under Brick Stones

Ingredients

• 1 large chicken (ca. 1.3 kg, ready-to-cook)
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• coarse pepper (freshly ground)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Remove the backbone with poultry scissors.

2. 2.

   Place the chicken skin-side down on a work surface, press it flat as much as possible with firm pressure, and transfer to a shallow dish.

3. 3.

   Wash rosemary and shake off excess moisture; pluck the needles. Peel garlic and chop both together.

4. 4.

   Mix rosemary and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then spread over the chicken, putting some under the skin if possible. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

5. 5.

   Heat a heavy oven-safe skillet or roasting pan. Place the chicken skin-side down into the pan. Wrap a brick stone in aluminum foil and use it to weigh down the chicken. Sear on medium heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the preheated oven.

6. 6.

   Bake at 225 °C (airflow not recommended; gas: level 3‑4) on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Remove the brick stone and flip the chicken. Bake another 20 minutes, reducing heat slightly if needed.

7. 7.

   Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest under aluminum foil for 5 minutes.