Brick-Pressed Chicken with Chickpea Conserva

  5.0 – 2 reviews  • Beans and Legumes
Level: Intermediate
Total: 15 hr 40 min
Active: 1 hr 20 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  1. 8 cloves garlic
  2. Leaves from 1 bunch fresh basil
  3. Leaves from 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  4. Leaves from 1 bunch fresh parsley
  5. Leaves from 1 bunch fresh rosemary
  6. 1 pint extra-virgin olive oil
  7. 1 tablespoon salt
  8. 1 tablespoon ground pepper
  9. 1 whole chicken
  10. Oil, for the grill
  11. Chickpea Conserva, recipe follows
  12. 1 pound black chickpeas
  13. 1 pound white chickpeas
  14. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  15. 2 cups diced pancetta
  16. 1 cup chopped carrot
  17. 1 cup chopped celery
  18. 1 cup chopped fennel
  19. 1 cup chopped onion
  20. 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  21. 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  22. Pinch saffron
  23. 3 quarts chicken stock
  24. Salt
  25. 2 cups lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Put garlic, basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, oil, salt and pepper in a blender. Starting on medium speed, blend everything together. Increase to high speed make sure everything is blended well. Once everything is homogenous, pour out into a large bowl.
  2. Very carefully cut along both sides of the backbone of the whole chicken to remove it, splitting the chicken, then cut down the breastbone to cut the chicken in half. Place the chicken halves in marinade. Let the chicken hang out in the marinade at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to overnight in the fridge.
  3. Preheat a grill for cooking at medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill grates. Place the chicken skin-side down on grill and place a brick on top of each piece to weigh them down. Let cook 5 minutes, then flip chicken and continue to press with bricks. Let cook until the chicken is fully cooked and its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, begin warming Chickpea Conserva in its liquid. When the chickpeas are hot, plate them on a large serving platter and arrange the chicken on top. Serve immediately.
  5. Soak chickpeas in water at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
  6. Drain chickpeas well. Add olive oil, pancetta, carrots, celery, fennel, onions, garlic and thyme to a large saute pan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add chickpeas and saffron and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and cook for 15 minutes. Season with salt and cook until the chickpeas reach desired consistency, another 45 minutes. Take off heat, finish with lemon juice and pour chickpeas with their liquid into a pan set in ice to cool. Store the chickpeas in their liquid.

Reviews

Marcus Smith
I just watched this episode and I thought Michael brined the chicken???  The recipe doesn’t mention that-help!?!  Brine, rinse, and then marinate?  Or am I dreaming?!
Shelly Morris
This is delicious!  The only change I would recommend is that the quantity of ingredients in the marinade is ridiculous for one chicken, you probably only need about a quarter of that amount.
Ricardo Hill
Absolute must!

 

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