Want to know the secret to crispy chicken skin? Grilled Chicken Under a Brick! No actual brick required, just something heavy. Get ready for weeknight chicken dinner perfection!

Photography Credit: Nick Evans

This is one of my absolute favorite ways to make chicken. Even though grilling season is (technically) over, I’ll still put on a coat and light the coals for this chicken—it’s that good! The lemon and herb marinade gives the chicken a bright, fresh flavor, and thanks to that heavy “brick” (more on that later), it cooks much faster than a normal grilled chicken.

And the skin? Oh, the skin. So crispy and perfect.

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WHAT IS CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK?

I have a lot of bricks in my kitchen, but they are all very secured in my walls. Good news, though—you don’t actually need a brick to make Chicken Under a Brick! You just need something super heavy and heat-resistant, like a cast iron pan or a pizza stone.

Once you have that in place, this dish is exactly what it sounds like: You butterfly or spatchcock your chicken; then you cook it with something heavy on top! You could also cut the chicken into two halves (my preferred method), which makes it more manageable on the grill.

WHY COOK A CHICKEN THIS WAY?

There are two main reasons to cook chicken this way:

It cooks faster: The chicken cooks very fast under the added pressure. You can trim 10-15 minutes off your normal chicken grilling time this way! The crispy skin! You’ve never had chicken skin as beautifully crisp as it will be with this recipe. It’s seriously grilled chicken perfection.

AN IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP FOR COOKING CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

One thing to remember about grilling with a brick is to make sure to do a few flips without the brick at the end of cooking. The brick touches raw chicken, and while it is hot, it’s possible to get some cross-contamination of raw and cooked chicken. I always do a few flips without the brick to ensure the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

WHEN IS THE CHICKEN DONE?

If you’re grilling your chicken in two halves, like I usually do, you’ll probably need 20-25 minutes to grill it. BUT: I never trust times on recipes for grilled chicken, since there are just too many variables. The only way to know for sure is to use a meat thermometer. When the chicken is 165˚F in the thickest part, it’s done!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

A fresh salad is always a winner. I also like to eat this chicken with with classic BBQ sides like potato salad, macaroni salad, or even macaroni and cheese.

OVEN-BAKED CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK

Don’t have a grill? No worries! You can make this chicken in the oven as well.

Place a baking sheet and your “brick” in a cold oven. Preheat to 450˚F. Once the oven has preheated, put the chicken on your baking sheet. (Careful! It’s hot!) Then, place the brick on top. Slide the whole thing in the oven, and follow the timing of the recipe. Should be almost identical to grilling times.

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