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1
Preheat the oven to 500F.
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2
Double-wrap your two bricks in aluminum foil.
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3
Place the chicken, breast side down, on a cutting board.
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4
Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut out the backbone (or, in other words, make a cut on either side of that little piece of skin that sticks out at the end of the chicken, then cut a 1 1/2-inch wide strip up through to the other side of the chicken).
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5
Discard this, or pop it in a Ziploc bag and freeze it for stock if youre so inclined.
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6
Flatten the chicken with your hands, then, using a sharp chefs knife, cut the chicken into two equal-sized halves.
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7
Trim off any excess skin and trim the last joint off the wings (this helps the chicken lie flatter in the skillet).
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8
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
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9
In a small bowl, combine the harissa with the garlic and shmear it all over the chicken.
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10
Heat a standard cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, add the oil and heat until the oil shimmers this will happen fast, so don't go doing anything else while youre waiting.
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11
Place chicken skin-side down in the skillet, weigh down with the foil-covered bricks, and cook for 7-8 minutes to really begin developing that crispy crust.
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12
Transfer to the oven (use both hands; were talking bricks on chicken on cast iron, people) and cook an additional 12-13 minutes.
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13
The chicken may smoke a little at this high heat, so make sure you open a window or turn on the exhaust fan.
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14
Remove from the oven, remove the bricks (theyll be hot use oven mitts!
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15
), flip using tongs, return to oven and finish cooking for an additional 10 minutes.
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16
Remove from oven, let rest for a couple of minutes, then carve, trying to preserve as much of that incredible skin as you can and serve with additional harissa.
