Pollo al Mattone: Chicken Under a Brick

Preparation 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. Per serving: 390.0 calories, 370.0 calories from fat, 41.0g total fat, 6.0g saturated fat, 0.0mg cholesterol, 300.0mg sodium, 2.0g total carbs, 0.0g dietary fiber, 0.0g sugars, 0.0g protein Nutritional analysis provided by TasteBook, using the USDA Nutrition Database Every Day in Tuscany Reprinted with permission from Every Day in Tuscany by Frances Mayes. Copyright © 2010 Frances Mayes. Published by Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Frances Mayes is the author of four books about Tuscany. The now-classic Under the Tuscan Sun—which was a New York Times bestseller for more than two and a half years and became a Touchstone movie starring Diane Lane. It was followed by Bella Tuscany and two illustrated books, In Tuscany and Bringing Tuscany Home. She is also the author of the novel, Swan, six books of poetry, and The Discovery of Poetry. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Preparation 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. Per serving: 390.0 calories, 370.0 calories from fat, 41.0g total fat, 6.0g saturated fat, 0.0mg cholesterol, 300.0mg sodium, 2.0g total carbs, 0.0g dietary fiber, 0.0g sugars, 0.0g protein Nutritional analysis provided by TasteBook, using the USDA Nutrition Database Every Day in Tuscany Reprinted with permission from Every Day in Tuscany by Frances Mayes. Copyright © 2010 Frances Mayes. Published by Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Frances Mayes is the author of four books about Tuscany. The now-classic Under the Tuscan Sun—which was a New York Times bestseller for more than two and a half years and became a Touchstone movie starring Diane Lane. It was followed by Bella Tuscany and two illustrated books, In Tuscany and Bringing Tuscany Home. She is also the author of the novel, Swan, six books of poetry, and The Discovery of Poetry. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages.