Just when you think every method for cooking a chicken has been exhausted, Rachael Ray pulls out a brick. In the second of two back-to-back episodes airing on FYI, Rachael Ray’s Meals in Minutes presents a technique that is both rustic and surprisingly clever. “Chicken Under a Brick with Herb Salsa Verde,” airing at 9:30 PM ET, is a lesson in kitchen physics.
The premise is simple: weighing down a spatchcocked chicken with a foil-wrapped brick ensures the entire surface makes contact with the hot pan. The result is exceptionally crispy skin and meat that cooks evenly, solving two of the most common problems with pan-seared poultry. It’s a method that feels old-world, yet Ray frames it as a quick solution for a modern weeknight dinner. The show continues to film from her personal kitchen, maintaining the accessible, homespun feel that has defined her career.
To cut through the richness of the chicken, she whips up a bright herb salsa verde, adding a fresh, sharp counterpoint to the dish. This meal, following her Italian Brisket in the previous half-hour, demonstrates the show’s range, moving from slow-cooked comfort to a more hands-on, technique-driven recipe. It’s a practical demonstration that aims to give home cooks another tool for their arsenal, proving that sometimes the most effective kitchen gadgets aren’t gadgets at all.
This episode of Rachael Ray’s Meals in Minutes airs Monday, June 16 at 9:30 PM ET on FYI.
