This is a traditional Tuscan method—bricks weigh down the butterflied chicken, resulting in even, quick cooking and crispy skin (you'll need two bricks for this recipe; wrap them in foil). If you don't have bricks, a cast-iron skillet will do the trick. Ask your butcher to butterfly the chicken for you.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Step 1
Whisk juices, olive oil, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and garlic in glass baking dish. Add chicken to marinade. Turn to coat; chill 2 hours, turning occasionally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
Step 2
Mix remaining 2 teaspoons salt, paprika, and pepper in small bowl.
Step 3
喷雾烤架用不粘锅的喷雾。准备barbecue (medium heat). Slice 1/2 orange into 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick slices. Remove chicken from marinade; pat dry. Loosen skin from chicken breast and slide 1 to 2 orange slices between skin and breast. Loosen skin from thighs and slide 1 to 2 orange slices between skin and thighs. Rub paprika mixture over both sides of chicken. Place chicken, skin side down, on grill. Place foil-wrapped bricks or cast-iron skillet atop chicken (if using bricks, position 1 brick over top half of chicken and 1 brick over bottom half). Cover and grill until skin is crispy and brown, about 15 minutes. Remove bricks or skillet. Using tongs or 2 large spatulas, turn chicken. Replace bricks or skillet and cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes longer. Let chicken rest 10 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, place whole orange on grill and cook until slightly charred, turning often, about 1 minute. Cut into wedges and serve alongside for squeezing over chicken.
How would you rate Grilled Citrus Chicken Under a Brick?
Leave a Review
Reviews (46)
Back to TopIt was too cold outside to grill (welcome to the Bay Area!) so I tried it in the oven, and it took 3 times as long to cook as another writer reported here....despite having to put it back in the oven 2 more times, my guests loved it. It stayed moist! I did marinate it for 10 hours, which I think helped. Also doubled the amount of spice rub, because I love paprika. Next time I will bake it covered with foil first.
ninahaft
Oakland, CA
6/10/2013
Great recipe but improved on the second attempt. I needed to adjust the heat and time based on BTU output of the grill. Medium heat and 15+20 minutes charred the skin too much on mine. It was difficult to visually check the doneness since it was covered by the brick. The cooking also killed most of the flavor of the delicate marinade on the first try. The second time I used lower heat and checked the temperature (165 F) of the cooked chicken with an instant read thermometer to know when to stop cooking. I also made extra marinade, poured off and saved the extra portion before using the rest to marinate chicken. Simmered extra portion in a saucepan to thicken. Poured over cooked chicken and served as a dipping sauce to enhance the flavor.
NYCFoodie
NYC
4/18/2013
Great flavor! Marinated overnight and prefer lemon under the skin. used thighs rather whole chicken as it was easier to plate for dinner guests. skin was crisp and meat was very moist.
JAYO
Indy
9/16/2012
WOW!!! I made this with a cast iron skillet on the grill and we didn't have any leftovers! My husband had a great idea to use the leftover marinade and put it in the skillet on top of the chicken to steam while cooking with the grill lid on. I saved some of the marinade before I put the chicken in it for some sliced zucchini and grilled those once the chicken was done and served it with brown rice with butter! My kids devoured the whole thing!! Will be making again very soon.
Tara97
California
9/9/2012
Made this last night. Excellent! Forgot to oil the grill rack so the skin stuck a bit but still was excellent. Served with smoky corn salad, wild rice and tomato and mozzarella salad with pesto and balsamic glaze. Yummy!
escott109
New Jersey
7/23/2012
This was very good - don't have a grill, so put the bird in the oven at 350 for 20 min, finished under the broiler. Spice rub complements the marinade nicely. Used smoked paprika, glad that I did.
awharfrat
Scottsdale, AZ
5/25/2012
I loved this recipe! My boyfriend said it was the best chicken he has ever had! We used his cast iron grill/griddle to weigh it down and it worked perfectly. I had to cook it about 3 minutes more than they said, but it was moist delicious and perfectly cooked! The skin looks like it is burnt but it tastes amazing from that rub. You should definitely make this recipe, it is one of the best.
landrym3
Detroit, MI
5/4/2012
This was a wonderful summer meal! I've made it twice in one week. The kids and DH love it. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect, crisp and blackened on the outside and tender and flavorful inside. I will quadruple the recipe and make it for a barbeque I'm hosting in July--served with a salad of spinach, mixed greens, and strawberries, spanish rice, and blueberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. YUM! thanks for a great recipe.
Anonymous
Vancouver, B.C.
6/25/2011
This was the best chicken we ever had. We did have to cook it longer then the recipe called for.
beppymck
5/13/2011
Couple things about this recipe. 1.) No mention of grilling temperature. 2.) Brick vs Cast Iron Pan Issue. With regards to the grilling temperature - a Medium to High temperature for the duration listed will yielded a dry bird. The brick wrapped in foil works better than the cast iron pan, as the pan gets too hot and cooks the bird from the other side (also drying it out). Best to use a Low to Medium grilling heat or reduce the listed times. Otherwise - Spice combination was incredible. Will try this again albeit at a lower grilling temperature.
pdotterw
San Francisco, CA
5/3/2011
I was a bit skeptical about this repice but it turned out great. I didn't use the brick nor the cast iron skillet.I may add more fresh herbs next time because I could barely taste them.
desquestions
9/28/2010
Marinated for 5 hours and followed recipe and method exactly. The chicken was moist and tender and the crispy skin (slightly charred) yummy. However, I did not taste the marinade very much, just a little on the wings. Perhaps I didn't turn it over enough or I should have put it in the fridge, I'm not too experienced with marinades. Next time I'll pierce the chicken a few times, that may improve the marination. The brick method seems to have produced the moistness.
wmertens
8/7/2010
Followed the recipe exactly - except marinated the chicken for 5 hours - based on all the previous reviews, I was expecting something exceptional, and this fell far short. Wouldn't make it again, as there are other recipes for marinated chicken that I think are far better.
newtondunn
princeton, new jersey
7/4/2010
I came inside from my dinner party by the grill to comment on how wonderful this chicken turned out. The white meat was incredibly moist and succulent, which is the true test for any grilled chicken method. Beware of BBQ flare ups. Other than that, go for it!
taml
Seattle, WA
8/22/2009
这是一个非常好的秘方烤鸡,and very easy to prepare in advance for a weekday dinner. However, it is essential to adjust the cooking time for a chicken larger than the one in the recipe. Mine was a little over 4 pounds and it required an extra 15 minutes.
happybaker1
milwaukee, wi
5/3/2009
