Rustic Pan Brick Chicken with Zucchini, Caramelized Onion, Crouton Medley

One of my favorite ways of making chicken is the pan cooked “brick” style.  You are able to get a combination of both dark and white meat, it has crispy skin and is incredibly juicy - getting  the best aspects of chicken all in one. Depending on the time of year, this chicken goes incredibly well with a large variety of garnishes.  This time, I happened to make it with a zucchini, caramelized pearl onion, buttery crouton medley… One Word: Delicious.

Rustic Pan Brick Chicken with Zucchini, Carmelized Onion, Crouton Medley

by: Natalie Emerson, Serves:2

Ingredients:

Canola Oil

1 Whole Zucchini

2 Thick Slices Fresh bread, crust removed (whatever you have around)

1 ½ Tbls Unsalted Butter

20 Pearl Onions

1 Tbls Unsalted Butter

1 Tsp Granulated Sugar

6 Tbls Water

Salt & Pepper, to taste

1 Whole Chicken

Procedure:

For the Medley:

Clean the zucchini and dry. Cut ends off. Then cut lengthwise in half and then once more so that you have four long quarters. Then cut each into small pieces. Take a sauté pan and put it on the stove on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1-2 teaspoons of canola oil, swirl it around. Once oil is warmed up and hot, add zucchini (Make sure that you have patted the zucchini dry prior to putting it in the pan). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then start tossing the zucchini. Keep tossing until edges of zucchini have browned and zucchini is just cooked through. Remove from pan and put in a bowl, reserve for later.

Cut the bread into small cubes, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch each. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Warm up a clean sauté pan and add 1 ½ tablespoons of butter to the pan. Swirl the butter and when it starts frothing, add the bread, lower the heat a bit and keep the bread moving in the pan, flipping and swishing. When the edges turn golden brown, remove from the pan, add to the bowl you have the cooked zucchini in, and put aside for later use.

Take the pearl onions and put them in a bowl with warm water. Let them sit for at least ten minutes. This will help with peeling them. After ten minutes, using a pairing knife, cut the ends of each onion and peel the first layer off. Continue this with all of the pearl onions (Right before you are about to start cooking the chicken, do the following). In a medium size sauté pan, add the onions, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, add the sugar and the tablespoon of butter. Fill the pan with water that goes practically up the sides of the onions but does not fully cover them. Then cut a piece of parchment paper that fits over the water as a lid. Cut a small hole in the center of the lid. Put in the pan resting on top of the water and put on the stove on medium-high heat. The water will simmer underneath the parchment, releasing steam through the hole and at its edges. When there is practically no water left, remove the parchment lid. Keep cooking. The water will completely evaporate and the pan will start to brown on the bottom. Keep swirling the pan and the onions. When the pan turns a chocolate brown, pour 3 tablespoons of water into the pan. It will sizzle and the brown bits will deglaze. Keep swirling and cooking. You will do this one more time. Let all the water evaporate, let the pan turn brown and deglaze one more time. This time, when there is almost no water content left in the pan, add the zucchini and bread. Turn the heat off and mix. Let the pan sit on the stove for a couple of minutes, then serve.

For the chicken:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Carve the raw chicken. You will want to keep the each breast and with its corresponding thigh meat intact. Flip the dark meat onto the white meat and wrap the meat in the chickens skin. Take a large oven-safe sauté pan and put on medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 ½ tablespoons of canola oil. Swirl and let the oil get warm. Make sure your chicken is dry and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Once oil and pan are hot (but not at the smoking point) add the chicken, breast side down. Top with a brick to weigh it down (or something else heavy, I use a cast-iron skillet). Don’t move the pan and let the chicken cook while the skin crisps for about five minutes. When the skin is crispy and golden brown, flip each piece and cover again with the weight. Cook another five minutes. When that side is golden brown, flip the chicken back to the breast side and place in the oven. Do not weigh it down in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken has a 165°F internal temperature.

Plate the medley and add the chicken on top. Serve and enjoy!