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Recipe

Tuscan Grilled Chicken Under a Brick

Scott Phillips

Servings:4

Both the Tuscans and the Romans claim to have invented the method for grilling chicken under a brick to keep it juicy and crisp. Although this technique, calledpollo al mattone,是传统上使用报导chicken, it’s also great for chicken breasts, which are notorious for drying out when exposed to the high heat of the grill. The weight of the brick presses the meat into the grill for faster, more even cooking, excellent crisping, and gorgeous grill marks. It also works as a cover for the meat, keeping it moist. In Italy,pollo al mattoneis often cooked over a wood fire; this recipe recreates a bit of that smokiness by adding wood chips to the grill.

Ingredients

  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 1 Tbs. fresh sage
  • 1/2 Tbs. fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 8-oz. bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Vegetable oil for the grill
  • 1 medium lemon, sliced into 4 wedges for garnish

Nutritional Information

  • Calories (kcal) : 270
  • Fat Calories (kcal): 90
  • Fat (g): 10
  • Saturated Fat (g): 3
  • Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2
  • Monounsaturated Fat (g): 4
  • Cholesterol (mg): 110
  • Sodium (mg): 1350
  • Carbohydrates (g): 2
  • Fiber (g): 0
  • Protein (g): 40

Preparation

  • In a food processor, pulse the garlic, sage, rosemary, pepper flakes, 1-1/2 Tbs. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper until finely chopped.
  • Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Lightly brush both sides of the chicken with olive oil and season each breast with 1 tsp. of the herbed salt. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the grill.
  • Prepare a gas or charcoal grill fire for direct grilling over medium heat (350°F). Wrap four bricks in heavy-duty aluminum foil.
  • If using a charcoal grill, sprinkle 1 cup of unsoaked wood chips (preferably oak) over the coals. Replace the grill grate. If using a gas grill, use two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to make a V-shaped packet to hold the wood chips. Set the foil packet between two burners and add the chips to the foil packet. Replace the grill grate.
  • Clean the grate with a wire brush and, using tongs, wipe the grate with a paper towel or cloth dipped in oil.
  • Arrange the breasts skin side down on the grill on a diagonal to the grate. Put a brick on top of each chicken breast. Grill (covered if using a gas grill) until the skin is crisp and golden-brown, 8 to 10 minutes. If flare-ups occur, move the chicken to a different part of the grill.
  • Using grill mitts or tongs, remove the bricks, flip the chicken over, and replace the bricks. Continue to grill (covered if using a gas grill) until an instant-read thermometer inserted in a thick part of a breast reads 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes more.
  • Transfer the chicken breasts to a platter or plates and drizzle with additional olive oil. Serve with the lemon wedges and the remaining herb salt on the side.

Serve withGrilled Baby Eggplant & Plum Tomatoes with Fresh Basil.

(7 ratings) Read Reviews
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Reviews (7 reviews)

  • CookingWithUncleTony| 07/14/2018

    Great and easy to make. Heating the brick should be known to most, but I agree that the recipe update is warranted.

    With a spatchcocked whole chicken the cook time was almost doubled. Still delicious!

  • cmyachtie| 07/12/2017

    Very good recipe tried a number times my own way just with the bricks, however today used your spice recommendation and believe you got tablespoons and teaspoon mixed up with the salt.......

  • Norski42| 06/14/2013

    It's a good recipe but it does leave out the important step of pre-heating the foil covered bricks! This can be done in the oven or on the grill if you have the time and coals (or gas). This takes care of any cross contamination from uncooked chicken and also adds to both the crispiness and rapid cooking time.

  • Dangrqueen| 06/13/2013

    It sounds delicious and I will be making it. One thing I noticed.... the brick is sitting on raw chicken, and you flip the breasts and put the "contaminated" brick on the cooked side. Or are you supposed to flip the brick over too?

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