Brick Chicken Recipe (Juicy and Crispy)
Published January 24, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Brick Chicken Recipe is incredibly crispy and juicy thanks to a technique that involves flattening, searing, and roasting a whole chicken under the weight of foil-wrapped bricks. I love putting this meal together to add some theatrics to our weekly family dinners.
By spatchcocking a whole chicken and weighing it down with bricks, the bird cooks evenly and turns out incredibly juicy with golden brown, ultra-crispy skin. Even better, it takes less time than a traditional Roast Spatchcock Chicken. I love this fun cooking method for weeknight dinners because it’s just as dramatic, delicious, and easy as Beer Can Chicken.
What is Brick Chicken?
Brick chicken, known in Italy as pollo al mattone, is a creative cooking method with Tuscan roots. It involves pressing a whole spatchcocked chicken under the weight of bricks or another heavy object while it cooks.
The method was initially used on open fires (which is still an option if you’re ready to fire up the grill), but nowadays, recipes for brick chicken are conveniently made using the stovetop-to-oven technique.
Either way, this method yields crispy golden skin and succulent meat. Whether you’re making it for a quick, casual family meal or impressing guests, get ready for a downright delicious dinner.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – A fresh or frozen and thawed 3 ½ to 4-pound whole chicken is best for this recipe. Even Spatchcocked cornish hens or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs can be cooked using brick.
- Oil – Stick with a high-heat oil, like light or regular olive oil, to prevent the chicken from sticking. Avocado oil, clarified butter, or another neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point also works.
- Seasonings – I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper. Alternatively, use poultry seasoning, blackened seasoning, or a dry BBQ rub for more flavor.
- Sauce – An excellent serving sauce, like chimichurri sauce, will take every bite of spatchcock chicken over the top. You can also use pesto vinaigrette, aji verde sauce, peri peri sauce, cilantro lime sauce, or Carolina BBQ sauce.
How to Cook Chicken Under a Brick
Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Remove the backbone.
Flip it over and press firmly in the center to crack and flatten the breastbone.
Pat the chicken dry on all sides with paper towels. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Set it aside.
Preheat two equal-sized oven-safe pans on separate burners over high heat.
Pour some olive oil into one pan. Place the chicken in the oiled pan, skin-side down.
Drizzle more oil on the bottom of the second preheated pan and place it on top of the chicken.
Place two foil-wrapped bricks on top of the second pan to weigh it down. Sear the chicken for 5 minutes.
Transfer the chicken, pans, and bricks to the oven and roast the chicken for 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and remove the bricks and top pan. Flip the chicken and place it back in the oven to finish roasting. Remove the chicken from the oven and set it aside to rest. Pair it with chimichurri sauce or your favorite serving sauces and sides, such as roasted root vegetables, roasted potatoes, or a crisp side salad.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead: You can spatchcock, season, and store your chicken in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. The roasted chicken can be wrapped in foil and kept in a turned-off oven for up to 90 minutes before serving. If you’re serving the chicken with chimichurri sauce, make it a day in advance to let the flavors meld (it stores well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week).
How to Store: Let the cooked brick chicken cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the chicken in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
How to Reheat: Reheat the chicken on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Or, for smaller portions, reheat them in a skillet over medium heat with a touch of olive oil.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Take the time to preheat your skillets to create the high-heat environment needed for an even sear. This will only take about 5 minutes.
- No bricks? You can use any heavy, heatproof items, like another heavy skillet, a grill press, or a baking dish filled with pie weights. Make sure whatever you use is oven-safe and wrapped in foil to keep it clean.
- The whole chicken is done cooking when the thickest part registers an internal temperature of 160°F to 163°F.
- As the chicken rests, it will reach a safe internal temperature of 165ºF. Its natural juices will also soak back into the meat for tender and flavorful bites.
- Feel free to grill the chicken under bricks instead. Preheat your grill to medium heat and place the flattened and seasoned chicken directly on the hot grill grates, skin side down. Place your foil-wrapped bricks on top and grill for 15 to 20 minutes. Flip and continue grilling until cooked through.
- Consider dry brining the chicken with coarse salt for juicier, more flavorful, and crispy brick chicken. Let the salt-rubbed chicken brine in the fridge for 6 to 12 hours before cooking.
- In the fridge, you can also marinate the whole chicken in my Chicken Marinade, Teriyaki Sauce, or Italian Dressing for 4 to 12 hours. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before searing.
More Whole Chicken Recipes
- Peri Peri Chicken
- Easy Roast Chicken
- Roman Chicken Cacciatore
- Grilled Spatchcock Chicken
- Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa)
Brick Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole roasting chicken, about 3 ½ to 4 pounds
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- chimichurri sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°.
- Place the chicken breast side down and, using kitchen shears, cut on either side of the backbone to remove it.
- Next, flip the chicken over and press inwards to pop the breast bone to flatten it.
- Pat it down on all sides with a paper towel.
- Lightly drizzle both sides with olive oil, and then generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Now, place two equal-sized medium to large sized sauté pans over separate burners on high heat and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to one pan and place the chicken into it skin side down. Turn over the other pan and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the bottom of the pan, then add it to the top of the chicken.
- Next, place two bricks on top of the pan that have been wrapped in foil and sear the chicken over high heat, untouched for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to the oven and cook it for 20 minutes. Then, remove the bricks, flip the chicken over and return it to the oven uncovered for 10 to 15 additional minutes or until it is well browned and the thickest part of the breasts is about 160°-163°.
- Remove the chicken and let it rest for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Serve with optional chimichurri sauce.
Delicious and so very easy. This is a go-to all the time.
Fantastic!