Brick chicken with orange-celery salsa verde
Succulent butterflied chicken… but make it flat! That’s what happens when you cook chicken under weights and no, you don't literally have to use bricks, although you could. We busted out cans of food from our pantry, totalling 3-4 kg in all. Cooking chicken under weights is a technique that gives you gorgeously juicy, crispy-skinned bird, as it ensures even cooking and presses the skin firmly against the hot grill so the surface goes really golden. It’s quite quick-cooking too, relatively speaking. A method referred to as "pollo al mattone" in Italian (literally, chicken under a brick), this way of cooking has roots in the Mediterranean where terracotta bricks are traditionally used. Hence the name. You could take the cooking outdoors to the barbecue if you like; in fact, this is an ideal dish to cook outside as it does generate a bit of smoke, or use a chargrill plate on your stove. If you have a crowd to feed, hurl several butterflied birds on the grill, marinating them first if you want (garlic, bruised hard herbs like rosemary and thyme, olive oil and a glug of wine vinegar would work great). Our version teams the cooked, jointed chicken with the bright, zesty flavours of a herby orange (yes, more orange – it’s the week for it) and celery salsa verde and the result? Perfectly charred, spectacular chicken with a punchy topping that will give you all those lovely, breezy, Med vibes. And that will have you thinking, “let the sav blanc flow.”
SERVES 4
1 x 1.3kg chicken
olive oil, for cooking
Celery and orange salsa verde
1 large, or two small oranges, peeled, all pith removed, and segmented
1 cup finely chopped celery heart (about 3 stalks), leaves included
1½ tsp finely grated orange zest
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
80g (½ cup) drained pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp drained baby capers
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped or grated
80ml (⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
4 tsp dijon mustard
Using poultry shears or a large, sharp knife, cut alongside either side of the chicken backbone to remove the backbone. Save this for a stock if you like (it will freeze). Open the chicken out, then place it, skin side up, on a board. Using the heel of your hand, press down hard on the chicken breast to break the breastbone and flatten the bird. Pat it dry all over using kitchen paper, then place it, skin side up, on a large plate or on a tray. Season with salt, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight to dry the skin out.
Before you’re ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge and bring it to room temperature. Heat the barbecue or a chargrill plate over medium-low heat. Dry the chicken again, brush the skin lightly with olive oil, then season again with salt. Place the chicken, skin side down, on the grill, then place a large frying pan directly on the chicken. Fill the pan with 3-4 kg of canned foods to weigh down the chicken, then cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is deep golden and beginning to char. Remove the pan and cans, then turn the chicken over. Replace the weights, then cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the juices in the thickest part of the bird run clear when tested with a fine metal skewer. Remove to a plate, then rest the chicken for 10 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper, then cut into large pieces through the bone to serve.
While the chicken cooks, make the salsa verde. Cut the orange segments into small pieces about 5mm, then combine with the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix well, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
