Chicken Al Mattone With Thyme Pesto By Waverly June 10 2010 12 Comments Recipes

POLLO AL MATTONE: CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Mince the garlic and parsley and combine with the zest, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Wash the chicken under cold running water and dry. With poultry shears, remove the wing tips, any excess fat, and cut out the backbone. Put them aside for stock. You may want to remove the ribs and breastbone, too. Mix together the marinade ingredients. Lay the chicken flat, skin side up. Stuff the garlic mixture under the skin, place in the marinade, then cover and marinate for a few hours or, even better, overnight. Turn two or three times.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron pan large enough to hold the chicken (I use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet). Place the chicken skin side down and weigh it down with the two clean bricks wrapped in foil. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, then place the skillet and bricks in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, after which you'll remove the weights and turn the chicken over, cooking another 10 minutes or so, until done. Cut into serving- sized pieces.

POLLO AL MATTONE

Steps:

• Take a whole chicken and remove "backbone" - The chicken can now be opened to lay flat on cooking surface. The cooking vessel for this dish is a stovetop griddle pan (an extra-large saute pan would work, if necessary). The griddle pan needs to be medium-high when chicken is first placed on surface for cooking. The chicken should be seasoned with gray salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a slight drizzle of olive oil.
• Place skin side to pan first, place a saute pan or another griddle pan on top of chicken to apply pressure and weight while cooking. Cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium to avoid burning, cook additional 10-15 minutes on skin side. Remove weighted pan and turn over. Replace weighted pan and continue cooking 10-15 minutes until done.

THYME PESTO

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor fitted with steel blade.
• Blend on high for 1 minute or until creamy and well-blended.
• Store in non-metallic, covered container in refrigerator; will keep in fridge for up to 2 wks or in freezer for 6 months.

CHICKEN AL MATTONE (UNDER A BRICK)

Steps:

• Rinse and clean chicken. With kitchen shears, cut chicken up backbone and lay flat, press down to flatten until hear a crack. Place chicken in ziploc gallon bag. Add all other ingredients and marinade at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Pat dry chicken of marinade and season outside with salt and pepper.
• Heat grill to medium. Place chicken skin side down in coolest spot on grill, and place a foil wrapped brick on top. Leave skin side down on grill for 10 minutes watching that it doesn't flare. Flip over and cook ten minutes more. When done, carefully lift brick off using oven mits. Let chicken rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Shouldn't have to carve it, meat should tear apart with ease.
• Good with grilled veggies or baked pasta and salad.

CHICKEN AL MATTONE WITH THYME PESTO BY WAVERLY • JUNE 10, 2010 • 12 COMMENTS

Steps:

• To marinate the chicken: Place chicken, skin side up, in a glass baking dish. Press down on the center of the breast to break the sternum. The chicken should lie flat now. Rub it with marinade, making sure to loosen the skin and rub the marinade under the skin as well. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. To grill the chicken: Remove chicken from refrigerator. Drain the marinade and pat the chicken dry. Season it with salt and pepper. Wrap your paving stone in foil (I pulled a cement paving stone out of my garden and washed it off). Prepare your grill. (Note: I threw a few mesquite wood chips onto my grill to give it a little something extra.) Brush your grill rack with a bit of oil. When the fire reaches medium-high heat and you can hold your hand over the grill about 5 seconds, place the chicken skin-side-down on the grill grate. Brush your wrapped paving stone with a little oil and then place it on top of the chicken. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes. Using grilling gloves, very carefully remove the stone. Flip the chicken, replace the stone on top, and grill until chicken is done, about 12 to 15 minutes longer. About five minuets before chicken is done, grill the lemon wedges. Transfer everything to a serving platter. Let chicken rest, covered with foil, for 5 to 10 minutes, and then cut into quarters. For the pesto: Combine parsley, thyme leaves, lemon zest, Parmesan, walnuts, and garlic in a food processor. When finely chopped, add olive oil in a steady stream until pesto is smooth. Season to taste with salt. (Note: this can be done up to 1 week ahead.) Serve grilled chicken with a dollop of pesto and a lemon wedge. Tell your diners to squeeze the lemon over the pesto. Enjoy.