John Legend’s Tuscan Brick Chicken Is Juicy and Delicious with Perfectly Crispy Skin

John Legend's Tuscany Brick Chicken

If you're familiar with the singer, songwriter and pianist John Legend, then you’re also probably familiar with his wife Chrissy Teigen, the TV personality, food entrepreneur and cookbook author. This star-studded duo’s influence has not only been felt on the Billboard charts and television airwaves, but thanks to Chrissy, has also made its way into your kitchen.

If you’re one of the unlucky few who are unfamiliar with their recipes, however, this easy-to-cook recipe for John's Tuscan Brick Chicken from Chrissy's cookbook, Cravings, will help you understand why the couple has garnered so much attention outside of the entertainment industry. While the dish is a highly requested dinner in their household, after trying it myself, it’s also quickly becoming one in mine. Here's how to make it.

Get the recipe: John's Tuscan Brick Chicken

Ingredients for John Legend’s Tuscan Brick Chicken

To make this Legend-Teigen household family favorite, you’ll need a handful of fresh ingredients—and may need to stop by the nearest hardware store. On the ingredient front, you'll need: extra-virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, garlic, red pepper flakes, three lemons and some salt and pepper. You'll also need four bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters, canola oil and two bricks double-wrapped in aluminum foil. Yes, you read that correctly.

If you don't have two bricks just lying around the house, you can pick a pair up at Home Depot for about a dollar each. In my case, I just grabbed two landscaping bricks from outside my front door.

How to Make John Legend’s Tuscan Brick Chicken

I personally recommend cleaning the chicken quarters in a mixture of water and white vinegar, but everyone has their own opinion about cleaning their chicken before cooking, so you do you. Once that's sorted out, combine the olive oil, rosemary, sage, garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Pat the chicken dry and place it in a baking dish. Rub the chicken with the herb mixture, then cover and refrigerate for anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. You may notice that only three of my leg quarters have seasoning, but that’s because my husky pup was being nosy, so I set aside a plain chicken quarter for him.

Related: I Can Debone A Whole Chicken In A Flash—Let Me Show You How!

When you’re ready to start cooking, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and pour in some canola oil. Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down and weigh them down with the foil-wrapped bricks. Don’t lift the bricks or the chicken and allow the chicken to cook until the skin is crisp and mahogany brown. This should take about 7 to 9 minutes.

Next, remove the bricks, flip the chicken and weigh it back down again. Allow to cook for another 7 to 9 minutes. Confirm that the chicken is fully cooked by piercing the thickest part with a knife. If the juice is clear, your chicken is cooked. If there is any hint of pink, throw it back in the skillet for a few more minutes. (Also feel free to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature. You're looking for 165° when you're cooking chicken.)

When the chicken is fully cooked, throw some quartered lemons in the skillet until they're slightly charred and caramelized (about 2 minutes each side). Now, just place your chicken on a plate, squeeze the charred lemons over the chicken and get ready to dig in.

Related: The Korean Trick for the Crispiest, Crunchiest Chicken Wings

What I Thought about John Legend’s Tuscan Brick Chicken

The chicken was very tasty! It was full of flavor and had a very nice crisp skin, which I enjoyed the most. I didn’t understand the need for the bricks at first, but after seeing how the weight helped the skin stay in contact with the pan, I became an instant believer. This is probably one of my favorite recipes that I’ve tried while here at Parade. Well, this and of course the mac and cheese that broke the internet. At some point, I will make a smorgasbord of my favorite Parade I Tried It recipes, with this chicken being the main protein.

Tips for Making John Legend’s Tuscan Brick Chicken

? Try this over an open fire. While this isn't necessarily a tip, this would be a fun trick to pull out the next time you go camping. Your friends and family will be both thoroughly impressed and pleased if you manage to bust out the bricks, chicken and cast-iron skillet over an open fire. If you're feeling slightly less ambitious, you could also try this method on the grill, which would be fun, too.

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