What can I do with piles of chicken skin?

[Jeffery C]

The thought of even eating skin makes me gag a little. CaliPoutine

Maybe we should all put a little more thought into what it is we are eating. We might have lower levels of morbid obesity in this country.

However, when it comes to the stuff that a chicken's feathers used to be anchored in, first plunge it in a bath of some briny buttermilk concoction for an extended period, then dust it with flour, and finally send it to a vat of oil heated to a blistering 150 C & keep it there until it is nicely browned and scrumptiously crisp.

I love the stuff that Alex & Aki do at Ideas in Food. Here are their thoughts on the subject.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Jeffery C (log)

[Dakki]

My mother made chicken the way described in the OP, then used the drippings to make gravy with canned mushrooms and called the result "roast chicken." I should try to make that sometime, with fresh 'shrooms and a legitimate French name.

Anyway, about chicken skin: I think it's the best part, and recipes that don't make the most of it don't get repeated.

[KennethT]

Mitch, the skin you talk about reminds me of confit skin, minus tons of salt... Since it cooked for so long in the moist environment, I'd be sure it was quite gelatinous and would puff up really well if fried or cooked at high heat between two silpats.... mmmm.... crispy skin....

[Anna N]

....

I love the stuff that Alex & Aki do at Ideas in Food. Here are their thoughts on the subject.

Their chicken skin wrapped shrimp balls have been on my gotta-do list forever - the issue is finding enough chicken skin.

[Kent Wang]

I will remove the skin, check for seasoning, place on a wire rack, back into the oven @375 till crisp and rendered.. eat!!

Agreed. Wire rack is the way to go as it also renders out a lot of fat, if you're concerned about calories. It's much healthier to eat it this way than if it was not rendered.

[Pierogi]

When I do something like a gumbo, or a stew or soup, where the skin is integral to the flavor of the final dish, but the dish is easier to eat when the chicken is taken off the bone and shredded, or chunked, I brown the skin, leave it on during cooking, and then discard it along with the bones when I deal with the chicken. If it's a braise, and I want the chicken left in large pieces for presentation (I can think of a couple of recipes where that's the case), then I remove brown the skin hard, leave it on for the cooking, then remove the pieces from the broth, put them on a broiler pan, and run them, skin-side up, under the broiler, to revive the skin.

Best. Idea. Ever.

When I roast or fry the chicken, crispy, crunchy, chicken-fatty goodness is the goal, and I will, as others do, scarf the skin before I touch the meat so it doesn't lose that crackle.

Flabby, soggy skin is disgusting. I won't even feed it to the dogs (though I'm *sure* they'd hoover it on down....)

[Jeffery C]

maybe Tyson needs to genetically engineer a chicken with twice the skin? I think as GMOs go that would be ok with me *sarcasm*

[Anna N]

maybe Tyson needs to genetically engineer a chicken with twice the skin? I think as GMOs go that would be ok with me *sarcasm*

With all the skinless chicken breasts sold wouldn't you think there's a secondary market for the skin?

[GwennP]

I eat the skin. And if someone doesn't want their skin, I eat that too!!!!

Edited March 29, 2011 by GwennP (log)

[Toliver]

With all the skinless chicken breasts sold wouldn't you think there's a secondary market for the skin?

I wonder if they sell the extra skin to corporations like McDonald's to make the McNuggets and so on.

edited to add: I'm sure it isn't just thrown away. It's ending up somewhere...in pet food or people food.

Edited March 29, 2011 by Toliver (log)

[Marlene]

Isn't the whole point of chicken, the skin? I eat it. For braised chicken pieces, such as coq au vinm I simply crisp the chicken pieces under the broiler, after they are done braising.

[patrickamory]

I always eat the skin. Heaven, even in a chicken that's been simmered in a bladder.

[Kent Wang]

When I do something like a gumbo, or a stew or soup, where the skin is integral to the flavor of the final dish,

How is it integral? Do you mean that stewing the skin with the broth infuses the liquid with extra flavor? I've always been unsure of that, and believed that most of the flavor comes from meat and connective tissue.

[JAZ]

I learned a technique for braised chicken with crisp skin from a cookbook I had years ago, which I've used in other recipes like one for chicken braised in sherry vinegar sauce (photo here -- scroll down a bit).

You start out with a regular braising technique, but first, make sure the chicken is placed skin side up and not covered with the sauce, and second, halfway through the cooking, turn the heat up and take the cover off. The skin recrisps and the sauce reduces, and you end up with braised chicken with crisp skin.

(Here is the full recipe for anyone who's interested.)

[annachan]

I generally only like skin when it's crispy. However, I do eat the flabby skin in some dishes like Haninese chicken or soy chicken....

[Pierogi]

When I do something like a gumbo, or a stew or soup, where the skin is integral to the flavor of the final dish,

How is it integral? Do you mean that stewing the skin with the broth infuses the liquid with extra flavor? I've always been unsure of that, and believed that most of the flavor comes from meat and connective tissue.

I've read that it does, though I can't vouch for the flavor boost. For sure it gives it extra fat for that unctuous and silky mouthfeel (lord, how I hate that term, but it does describe the sensation...) in the liquid that's the mark of a good gumbo. And it does seem to keep the white meat from drying out during a long braise.

For those dishes where I'm going to shred the meat off the bones before serving, no big whup to keep the skin on and discard. For those dishes where the pieces are served whole in the broth, then they get the braise-skin-up-run-under-the-broiler treatment. Both work for me.

[Anna N]

Irresistable.

[Paul Bacino]

Irresistable.

That's how I do it.. nice

[robirdstx]

I learned a technique for braised chicken with crisp skin from a cookbook I had years ago, which I've used in other recipes like one for chicken braised in sherry vinegar sauce (photo here -- scroll down a bit).

You start out with a regular braising technique, but first, make sure the chicken is placed skin side up and not covered with the sauce, and second, halfway through the cooking, turn the heat up and take the cover off. The skin recrisps and the sauce reduces, and you end up with braised chicken with crisp skin.

(Here is the full recipe for anyone who's interested.)

Thanks for this! I'm going to do this with turkey thighs for dinner tonight.

[threestars]

Well before, I used to eat everything and I don't care how the skin of the chicken looks like or taste like. But as of the moment, when I eat a chicken, I don't eat the skin anymore because of some health/calorie issue. AnnaN's chicken skin looks perfect for me!

[ChrisOC]

One of my favorite ways to prepare chicken is to put a few legs and a few thighs in a roasting pan, sprinkle liberally with Bisquick, salt and pepper. Talk about crispy skin!

[SobaAddict70]

Pretty much always.

I get comprehensive blood work done twice a year (includes cholesterol, hdl and ldl counts). Numbers are amazingly low ... I figure that when it's my turn to go, it won't be chicken skin that does me in.

My absolute favorite way (okay, 2nd favorite way) is as a topping in congee. But nothing beats the Zuni chicken - bread salad or Keller's roast chicken. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Edited April 6, 2011 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[prasantrin]

The thought of even eating skin makes me gag a little. CaliPoutine

Maybe we should all put a little more thought into what it is we are eating. We might have lower levels of morbid obesity in this country.

I don't know about that. I've met a lot of people who think a lot about what they eat (and whom I would label "picky eaters", or at least "high maintenance eaters"), and they're quite a bit larger than I am. And I'm not small (short, but definitely not thin).

However, when it comes to the stuff that a chicken's feathers used to be anchored in, first plunge it in a bath of some briny buttermilk concoction for an extended period, then dust it with flour, and finally send it to a vat of oil heated to a blistering 150 C & keep it there until it is nicely browned and scrumptiously crisp.

I love the stuff that Alex & Aki do at Ideas in Food. Here are their thoughts on the subject.

Ditto on the fried chicken skin, except I'll often just dust it with cornstarch and fry it straight. If you're eating it immediately, I think corn starch makes it oh-so-much crispier.

[Country]

The only thing better than crispy chicken skin is crispy duck skin with that little layer of fat.

[Beebs]

The only thing better than crispy chicken skin is crispy duck skin with that little layer of fat.

And the only thing better than crispy duck skin is peking duck - pure roasted duck skin + fat, smeared with a bit of hoisin, sliver of scallion, and wrapped in a flour crepe. Soooo good...

I wonder how one might go about making "peking" chicken skin....hmmmm...