Getting chicken skin as crisp as possible is a skill and to the best of my knowledge, the best way to ensure you get it right is the “brick chicken” way, invented by the Italians. Basically, you want a butterflied chicken, and the idea is to sear it on a scorching hot cast iron skillet and layer a heavy brick (or two) on top to flatten it so the skin gets maximum contact with the pan and the flesh remains moist.
After a few minutes of searing, I prefer to transfer the skillet into a preheated oven. You know the chicken is done when the breasts register 150F when tested with a thermometer. For those who don’t have an oven, you can simply lover the heat and cook the chicken in the same pan.
As for marinade, I like to keep things simple and just use lemon juice, salt, pepper, some red chilli flakes and some minced rosemary. The downside of using some fresh herbs though is that it may burn on the pan (so won’t be as pretty when serving). I would advise marinading the chicken overnight or up to 3 days in advance to really draw out the moisture (this is what salt does to the chicken; it’s called dry brine). This will ensure the crispiest chicken skin you can possibly get. But if time is of the essence, simply marinade it on the spot and pat dry before searing.
As for the sauce, you can simply make a pan juice out of the chicken fond left in the pan (deglaze with white wine, add butter and some sprig of rosemary and clove of garlic). I opted for homemade pesto here though (since I had some leftover from a month ago which I kept frozen).
For the sides to go with the chicken, I opted for charring some mini bell peppers but feel free to make a fresh salad or whatever tickles your fancy. 
For those of you who can’t butterfly a chicken or can’t get your hands on one, feel free to use chicken thighs with skin (like I did here). It works equally as well.
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken thigh with skin
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 or 2 sprigs of rosemary
- Few garlic cloves, loosely crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
- red chilli flakes, to season
- black pepper and salt, to season
- 2 tablespoons of pesto
Instructions
- If you didn't do the dry brine method, pour some olive oil onto the chicken thigh and salt generously. Crack some fresh black pepper on top and chilli flakes, chopped rosemary and lemon zest (if using). Let it rest in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to dry out the skin. Note that the salt will draw our moisture from the chicken so you need to pat it dry with a kitchen towel before you fry.
- Heat a heavy skillet (ideally cast iron) on medium high heat and add the cooking oil and the butter.* Throw the rosemary sprigs and garlic on the side. Once you see the oil start to shimmer, throw the chicken thigh onto it, skin side down.
- Wrap a slightly smaller heavy skillet with foil and place on top of the chicken. If it isn't heavy enough, set a large brick or 2 to 3 heavy cans in the skillet to weigh it down. Alternatively, use a dutch oven pot.
- Cook the chicken 3 to 5 minutes, then remove the top skillet and check the skin. Adjust the heat to low and rotate the pan as needed so the skin browns evenly. Replace the top skillet and continue to cook until the skin is golden and crisp and the chicken is cooked about three-quarters of the way through.**
- Remove the top skillet and carefully flip the chicken. Cook, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, 3-4 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Serve with the pesto sauce on top.***
Notes
* Ideally you will have bricks at home which you can wrap in foil to flatten the chicken. But if not, just use a heavy dutch oven or another cast iron pan and put some weights on it if it isn't heavy enough. The idea is to ensure maximum contact of the chicken with the pan. ** Feel free to stick the cast iron pan in a preheated oven set on high heat too if you don't want to continue searing it in the same pan. *** If you want to use the chicken fond and make a pan sauce, I highly encourage you to do so. Once you remove the chicken, simply deglaze the pan with a generous splash of white wine and add two tablespoons of butter. Keep shaking the pan as it cooks over low heat.
