Baked Chicken under a Brick with Creamed Corn and Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 4 ears of white corn in the husk
• 0.5 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• Half a bunch of chives, finely chopped
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale, washed, dried, tough stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small chicken
• 1 tbsp whole fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp. black peppercorns
• Half a bunch of fresh thyme
• 0.5 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons of honey
• Sea salt flakes
• Additional device: 1 brick wrapped in foil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Place the corn on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and cool slightly, then husk and remove strings.
2. Place a small bowl upside down inside a larger bowl. Place the end of one ear of corn on the smaller bowl and cut the kernels off the cob, letting them fall into the larger bowl. Cut the kernels off the other ears in the same manner.
3. Place half of the kernels in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Add the grated corn and whole kernels to a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the cream and butter and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a pudding-like consistency, about 7 minutes. Add the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place the kale in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange the kale in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and roast until crisp, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
5. Preheat oven to 230°C.
6. Using kitchen shears, remove the backbone from the chicken and quarter it. Grind the fennel and peppercorns in a mortar or spice grinder until coarsely ground. Rub the chicken with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle generously with the spice mixture and a little salt.
7. Grease a 12-inch (30 cm) ovenproof skillet with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium-high heat until smoking. Place the chicken skin-side down in the skillet. Sprinkle thyme on and around the chicken, then press the chicken down with a foil-wrapped brick. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, then return the skillet to the oven and roast the chicken for 30 minutes.
8. Carefully remove the chicken from the pan and place it skin-side up on a cutting board. Drain the fat and thyme from the pan and return it to high heat. Add the chicken broth and honey and cook until a thick glaze forms, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Brush the chicken with the glaze and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve the chicken with creamed corn and crispy kale.