I’ve been submitting tons of Motorcycle and Baja 1000 posts lately, but have neglected the delicious food that fuels my days. That changes today. I thought I’d share a recipe for ‘Chicken under a Brick’ that I made last night. This recipe is very easy to prepare, is delicious and definitely has a bit of wow factor…

Grab a 3-4 pound chicken from your local market, preferably an organic one. The first thing you need to do is remove the backbone. This is much easier than it sounds. Find the back of the chicken and cut it from top to bottom, 2″ to the left and right of dead center. You’ll need to use a sturdy knife to get through some bone. Once the backbone is out, you can flatten the chicken by pressing down on it with both hands.

Now you need to focus on seasoning your bird. I went the traditional route using garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil, but this is an incredibly versatile recipe. You can use any combination of spices - thyme, oregano, sage, lavender, etc. Or you could go a strictly Asian route - garlic, ginger, green onions and sesame oil. The idea is that you mix these ingredients together in a bowl to make a marinade that is then rubbed all over the chicken. If you’re feeling sassy (and we hope you are), also tuck your mix under the skin.

Cover the chicken and place in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, but it can be left for up to a day.

Once you are ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees and grab a decent size, oven-safe skillet. I used a 12″ copper All-Clad saute pan, but a non-stick pan is a safer route. Throw any left-over herbs along with a tablespoon of oil into your skillet over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, put the chicken in the pan, skin side down. You’ll need to place a weight across the top to press the chicken down while it cooks. I used a oven-safe Le Creusset pot with some foil across the bottom. You can use anything that is safe to put in an oven - the most common route is a brick or two wrapped in foil, giving the recipe its’ title.

Let this cook for 5 minutes, then place in oven for exactly 15 minutes. Pull the pan out of the oven and flip the bird. Hopefully, you won’t pull off any skin and you’ll see something like this…

Place your weight back on the top and put everything back in the oven for another 10 minutes. My oven is older so the time ended up being closer to 20 more minutes. To be safe, I’d use an instant read thermometer and make sure all parts are at least 165 degrees before pulling it out.

Once it’s out, let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Then cut to serve, garnish with lemon wedges. This is a sizable meal for 2 people, could feed 4 if you had decent sides.

Try this recipe for yourself - you won’t be disappointed!