You would not believe how amazing my house smelled while I was roasting this handsome chicken under a brick! There are many versions of “Chicken under a Brick.” The method promises crisp skin, but I think it’s the breast meat that really sets it apart. It’s firm and dense, yet juicy. Also, the pan juices are so delicious, you’ll want to cry. But still, bricks?

Yes, bricks. Of course bricks. The weight of the bricks keeps as much of the skin as possible in contact with the searing hot pan. However, if you’re a hipsterfoodiehuge fan of Martha Stewartfood blogger, you’re not going to cook your chicken under just any old brick. You’re going to want salvaged brick, yo. I mean, if you can’t taste the difference between chicken cooked under reclaimed granite cobbles and chicken cooked under brand new Barr pavers, then this recipe is not for you. Likewise, if after your first bite of chicken cooked under Sand Buff common brick, you don’t immediately realize that it would pair perfectly with a Pabst, then I’m not even sure what you’re doing on this website.

And do I even need to mention that both chicken and bricks need to be locally sourced? At Make It Like a Man, we cook the chickens that we find ranging freely in the alley behind our building under nothing but Chicago Common Brick or reclaimed medium pink Chicago commons. (If we’re in a bad mood, or if the in-laws stop in for dinner, we’ll use salvaged Milwaukee Cream commons. But let’s just keep that between us.)

Once you become familiar with the subtle effects that different bricks have on organic chickens, you’ll be able to choose the right one for any occasion. For example, I recommend reclaimed Silver Fox common brick for special occasions, because of the way it complements a good, dry champagne.

Chicken under a Brick

You want solid, clay bricks – not cored, not concrete – because you want as much weight as the bricks can give. If you have extra bricks lying around from backyard landscaping projects you’ve tackled, well shit, you’re golden. Otherwise, look for hand-made bricks from skinny, local, big-bearded, flannel-wearing artisans who use single-source, farm-to-oven clay. You might be able to order old Chicago street pavers online from dealers who specialize in sustainable, non-GMO, hormone-free clay. If not, truck yourself on down to a landscaping store or some such place near you. Don’t feel bad about telling them you want only two or three bricks. In fact, feel good about telling them this. I did so at Patch, a local Mom & Pop landscape shop, and a handsome, agreeable associate – after some affable banter about this and that and nothing really – pointed me toward the “reject” pile and said, “You can have’m all if you want, for free.” For free!?!? I think I just met my new bestie! I respectfully limited myself to three. One has a small, insignificant chip, but the others … I’m not sure why they’re rejects. They seem perfect. The brick world must be very exclusive.

Click here for the recipe.

Credit for images on this page: Spatter-Pattern Cake: Beautiful Life, Banana Holder: Heather Hopkins. All others: Make It Like a Man! Hover over images and/or green text for pop-up info. Click for joy. This content was not solicited, sponsored, nor written in exchange for anything. Patch did give me free bricks, but they just did that because they’re cool. And handsome.

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Other Rants and Raves:

Why Red Velvet?

Banana Holders

The Groats of Love