Recipe courtesy of Michael Mina
Brick-Pressed Chicken with Chickpea Conserva
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 15 hr 40 min (includes marinating and soaking time)
- Active: 1 hr 20 min
Ingredients
8 cloves garlic
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh basil
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh cilantro
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh parsley
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh rosemary
1 pint extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 whole chicken
Oil, for the grill
Chickpea Conserva, recipe follows
Chickpea Conserva:
1 pound black chickpeas
1 pound white chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced pancetta
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped fennel
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Pinch saffron
3 quarts chicken stock
Salt
2 cups lemon juice
Directions
Special equipment:
2 bricks- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Chickpea Conserva:
- Soak chickpeas in water at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
- 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.