Akin to beer can chicken, brick chicken is a yester year popular way to cook fowl. Generally it's cooked in a pan and/or indoor oven. I must admit it was one of those recipes that I hadn't even thought about, much less cooked, in a number of years. As such I decided to do one over the weekend on a whim, so I thought I'd share a quick recipe writeup in case you all would like to give it a go. It's easy and produces a nice, moist result.
Brick Chicken
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. American
Makes. 4 to 6 servings
Takes. 60 minutes prep, 1-1/4 hours to cook
Ingredients – For Chicken
3.5-4 pound - Whole Fryer Chicken
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoon ground pepper
Chicken seasoning of choice
1/3 cup Avacado Oil (or other high heat oil)
Ingredients – For Potatoes
1 pound - small boiling potatoes
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions - For Chicken & Potatoes
Start by spatchcocking the whole fryer by cutting out the backbone. Lay the resulting chicken on a flat surface, cover with plastic wrap and pound as thin as possible with a heavy mallet or rolling pin. Add the salt and allow to dry brine at least 3 hours to over night.
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Rinse the small potatoes under water and allow to drain. Once drained cut each one in half. Whisk together an emulsion of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add the potatoes to a large bowl and toss in the dressing. Set aside.
Wrap a couple of bricks with aluminum foil (or a heavy Dutch oven if no bricks). Paint the chicken on both sides with a portion of the Avacado oil then sprinkle the pepper on each side. Take 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil and add it to a non-stick frying pan. Heat the pan to about 275-280*. Once heated place the chicken skin side down to sear. Weigh the chicken down with the bricks or heavy pot to assure maximum contact with the pan. Brown the chicken for about 14-15 minutes over medium heat. Check to see that the searing isn't over done (I went about 20 minutes and over shot mine just a bit).
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While the chicken is searing fire up a grill setup for indirect cooking. Add a chunk or two of apple or cherry wood for some smoke. Take the potatoes and place them in a 12" cast iron pan. They should cover the bottom and create a platform for the chicken to sit on. Make sure the cut side of the potatoes are all down.
​Once you are happy with the sear on the chicken, carefully lift and place the chicken cut side down (seared side up) onto the potato platform. Once the grill has reached a temperature of between 300-325*F, place the pan with potatoes and chicken on the indirect side and roast. Check to see the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches about 160*F and the dark meat in the thigh is about 170*F. It should take about 45 minutes or so. Baste with some oil if the chicken begins to scorch or dry out.
Once up to temperature, remove the pan from the grill and allow it to rest on your stovetop for about 20 minutes. Carve the bird into smaller pieces and serve country style on a platter with the potatoes. A nice green salad is a great accompaniment. Enjoy !!

This is a great mid-week dish if prep is done in advance. Total cooking time is just a little over an hour. Try this for a change of pace, chicken comes out super moist and the potatoes are over the top having received their chicken juice bath !!
Troutman makes an exit stage left !! Enjoy your week ahead !!
Brick Chicken
Course. Lunch or Dinner.
Cuisine. American
Makes. 4 to 6 servings
Takes. 60 minutes prep, 1-1/4 hours to cook
Ingredients – For Chicken
3.5-4 pound - Whole Fryer Chicken
2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoon ground pepper
Chicken seasoning of choice
1/3 cup Avacado Oil (or other high heat oil)
Ingredients – For Potatoes
1 pound - small boiling potatoes
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions - For Chicken & Potatoes
Start by spatchcocking the whole fryer by cutting out the backbone. Lay the resulting chicken on a flat surface, cover with plastic wrap and pound as thin as possible with a heavy mallet or rolling pin. Add the salt and allow to dry brine at least 3 hours to over night.
​
Rinse the small potatoes under water and allow to drain. Once drained cut each one in half. Whisk together an emulsion of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add the potatoes to a large bowl and toss in the dressing. Set aside.
Wrap a couple of bricks with aluminum foil (or a heavy Dutch oven if no bricks). Paint the chicken on both sides with a portion of the Avacado oil then sprinkle the pepper on each side. Take 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil and add it to a non-stick frying pan. Heat the pan to about 275-280*. Once heated place the chicken skin side down to sear. Weigh the chicken down with the bricks or heavy pot to assure maximum contact with the pan. Brown the chicken for about 14-15 minutes over medium heat. Check to see that the searing isn't over done (I went about 20 minutes and over shot mine just a bit).
​
While the chicken is searing fire up a grill setup for indirect cooking. Add a chunk or two of apple or cherry wood for some smoke. Take the potatoes and place them in a 12" cast iron pan. They should cover the bottom and create a platform for the chicken to sit on. Make sure the cut side of the potatoes are all down.
​Once you are happy with the sear on the chicken, carefully lift and place the chicken cut side down (seared side up) onto the potato platform. Once the grill has reached a temperature of between 300-325*F, place the pan with potatoes and chicken on the indirect side and roast. Check to see the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches about 160*F and the dark meat in the thigh is about 170*F. It should take about 45 minutes or so. Baste with some oil if the chicken begins to scorch or dry out.
Once up to temperature, remove the pan from the grill and allow it to rest on your stovetop for about 20 minutes. Carve the bird into smaller pieces and serve country style on a platter with the potatoes. A nice green salad is a great accompaniment. Enjoy !!
This is a great mid-week dish if prep is done in advance. Total cooking time is just a little over an hour. Try this for a change of pace, chicken comes out super moist and the potatoes are over the top having received their chicken juice bath !!
Troutman makes an exit stage left !! Enjoy your week ahead !!
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