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1
Put the chicken on a cutting board, skin side down, and press down as hard as you can with your hands to make it as flat as possible.
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2
Mix together the minced or dried rosemary, salt and pepper, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and rub this all over the chicken.
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3
Tuck some of the mixture under the skin as well.
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4
If time permits, cover and marinate in the refrigerator for up to a day (even 20 minutes helps).
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5
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 500F.
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6
Preheat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.
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7
Press the rosemary sprigs into the skin side of the chicken.
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8
Put the remaining olive oil in the pan and wait about 30 seconds for it to heat up.
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9
Put the chicken in the skillet, skin side down, along with any remaining pieces of rosemary and garlic; weight it with another skillet or one or two bricks or rocks wrapped in aluminum foil.
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10
The basic idea is to flatten the chicken by applying a fair amount of weight evenly over its surface.
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11
Cook over medium-high to high heat for 5 minutes, then transfer to the oven.
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12
Roast for 15 minutes.
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13
Remove from the oven and remove the weights; turn the chicken over (it will now be skin side up) and roast for 10 minutes more, or until done (large chickens may take an additional 5 minutes or so).
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14
Serve hot or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.
