Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Under a Skillet

• Recipe by Steven Raichlen

This recipe is a twist on the Italian classic pollo al mattone--chicken cooked under a brick. Here a cast-iron skillet presses the chicken onto the grill to give it beautiful grill marks and incredibly crisp skin.

Ingredients

1. Four 8- to 10-ounce chicken breast halves, on the bone
2. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
3. 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
4. 3 garlic cloves, minced
5. 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
6. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
7. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8. Vegetable oil, for the grill
9. Lemon wedges, for serving 

Directions

1. In a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish, sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary and rub the seasonings in thoroughly. Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning every 15 minutes.
2. Light a grill. Lightly brush the grate with oil and arrange the chicken breasts on the grate, skin side down, with the breast tips facing in the same direction at a 45° angle to the bars of the grate. Set a large cast-iron skillet on top of the breasts and grill over a medium-hot fire for 8 minutes; rotate the chicken breasts a quarter turn after 4 minutes to make attractive crosshatched grill marks. Flip the chicken breasts and repeat, grilling them until they are cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Serve with lemon wedges.