CHICKEN COOKED UNDER A BRICK

I love cooking chicken this way, as the weight of the bricks ensures as much of the chicken skin as possible is in direct contact with the pan or barbecue, meaning you get ultimate crispness. If you don’t have house bricks you could weight the chicken with a cast-iron pan instead.

Preparation Time 20 minutes, plus marinating | Cooking Time 1 hour | Serves 4

1 free-range or organic chicken (about 1.6 kg/3 lb 8 oz)

80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons, plus extra wedges to serve

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves, plus extra to serve

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

To begin, you’ll need to butterfly the chicken. Place the chicken breast-side down on a chopping board. Cut down each side of the backbone with kitchen scissors or a large sharp knife (reserve the backbone to make stock if you like). Remove the rib cage and wishbone, then turn the chicken over, open out flat and press down firmly with the heel of your hand to flatten the chicken out.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme leaves and garlic in a container large enough to hold the butterflied chicken snugly in a flat layer, season generously, then place the chicken in the marinade. Turn to coat well, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or as long as overnight), turning the chicken occasionally in the marinade. Stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

Heat a barbecue or a large, heavy cast-iron pan to a low–medium heat. Wrap two house bricks in foil and set aside. Drain the chicken from the marinade, place skin-side down on the barbecue or pan and weight with the bricks (if you’re using a cast-iron pan instead of bricks, place a layer of foil over the chicken before you place the pan on top). Cook for about 15–20 minutes until a deep golden brown all over, remove the bricks, turn the chicken over, replace the bricks and cook for another 10–15 minutes until cooked through. Check by piercing the thighs with a skewer – the juices should run clear; if they have a pink tinge, return the chicken to the barbecue for 5–10 minutes and test again. Transfer the chicken to a tray, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes, then serve scattered with thyme and with lemon squeezed over the top.