Brick Chicken with Rosé Wine, Peas, and Bacon

Recipe: Brick Chicken with Rosé Wine, Peas, and Bacon
Page: 146
Date Cooked: October 23, 2011

I was incredibly intrigued by this recipe. I mean not only did I have to go to the grocery store for ingredients, I had to stop at Home Depot as well. So the idea behind brick chicken is to butterfly the chicken and use the brick to weigh it down while cooking in order to achieve incredibly crispy skin while retaining the moisture of the product.

Ingredients: Free-range chicken, olive oil, salt, pepper, bacon, rosé wine, peas, sage, and butter

The last time I worked with chicken for this project, I mentioned being somewhat intimidated by using a whole chicken. This time around I actually do more than just roast it, I had to butterfly the chicken. This step was so much simpler than I had anticipated. All I had to do was use a pair of sharp kitchen shears and remove the backbone. With the backbone removed, I opened the bird out and flattened it as much as possible using my hands...voilà...butterflied chicken. I patted the bird dry, rubbed it down with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and set it aside.

Butterflied chicken with removed backbone

I cooked the diced bacon with some olive oil in a Dutch oven until the bacon was golden. I then removed it with a slotted spoon and placed it on a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Cooking bacon

I then put the butterflied chicken into the Dutch oven, skin side down. I also placed the foil-wrapped brick on the chicken to achieve that crispy skin.

Left: Brick
Right: Foil-wrapped brick on top of butterflied chicken

After some time, I took the brick off the chicken, added the rosé, brought the liquid to boil, and let the chicken cook all the way through. I then removed the fully cooked chicken from the pan, used kitchen shears to cut it into about six pieces, and then placed the chicken back into the pan.

Left: Chicken in rosé
Right: Fully cooked chicken in pieces 

I stirred in the bacon, peas, sage, and butter for a few minutes till all the ingredients blended. Finally, the dish was ready to eat.

Brick Chicken with Rosé Wine, Peas, and Bacon

This dish delivered everything it promised and more. I could not get over how amazing the chicken was. You got that perfect crisp skin along with beautifully succulent chicken. Pairing it with peas and bacon was brilliant. The bacon provided additional fat that the chicken didn't have. On the other hand, the peas provided a well-needed lightness and truly balanced the dish. I even want to go as far and say, the rosé added some sweetness while also cutting the fat of the bacon. I also enjoyed the addition of the sage. I believe sage is that perfect winter herb and on that cold night, it was just right. This recipe allowed each ingredient the opportunity to shine.

I truly enjoyed this meal. I am seriously wondering if there is a better way to cook chicken. All I know is, I'm glad I have a brick on hand from here on out.

Enjoy!