1 whole 3- to 4-pound chicken, trimmed of excess fat, rinsed, dried and split, backbone removed
1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon peeled and coarsely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, optional
1 lemon, cut into quarters
Instructions
Place the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down, and
using your hands, press down hard to make it as flat as
possible. Mix together the rosemary leaves, salt, pepper, garlic
and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, and rub this all over the
chicken. Tuck some of the mixture under the skin as well. If
time permits, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to
a day (even 20 minutes of marinating boosts the flavor)
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
Preheat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over
medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Press rosemary sprigs,
if using, into the skin side of the chicken. Put remaining olive oil
in the pan and wait about 30 seconds for it to heat up
Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, along with any
remaining pieces of rosemary and garlic; weight it with another
skillet or with one or two bricks or rocks, wrapped in aluminum
foil. The idea is to flatten the chicken by applying weight evenly
over its surface
Cook over medium-high to high heat for 5 minutes, then
transfer to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes more. Remove from
the oven and remove the weights; turn the chicken over (it
will now be skin side up) and roast 10 minutes more, or until
done (large chickens may take an additional 5 minutes or so).
Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges
Originally Submitted
1/26/2011
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