Weeknight roast chicken is a dinner-table fixture at my house no matter the season. This is the easiest one-pan dinner you can make in a hurry: brown the chicken in a stovetop oven-safe skillet, then add the mushrooms and any root vegetables you have on hand (in the spring, that could be new potatoes and asparagus). Finish cooking everything in an oven set to 425°F for about 45 minutes. The result is chicken with the crispiest skin possible, vegetables cooked into schmaltzy submission, and (if youre cooking for two, like I do) enough leftovers for a righteous chicken salad or stir-fry later in the week.
The only issue? What to do with the leftover chicken skin. The skin stays limp and soggy even when reheated in a skillet, no matter how hard you try to get it back to the crispy chicken skin that made the original dinner so great.
The trick? Remove the skin altogether. (Don’t throw it away!) Here’s how to reheat your chicken so the skin gets as crispy as possible the second time. (And before you ask, yes, this will work with store-bought rotisserie chicken skin too. Need some ideas for the rotisserie chicken meat? Here are a few of our favorites. ) Now, onto the re-crisping:
Chicken skin is often discarded or overlooked as an unwanted byproduct of cooking chicken. However, chicken skins are not only edible, but can be a delicious and nutritious addition to various dishes when prepared properly. Here are 8 great ways to make use of leftover chicken skins:
1. Make Chicken Cracklings
Crispy, crunchy chicken cracklings are easy to make with leftover chicken skin. Simply pat the skin dry cut into pieces, and bake in the oven at 450°F for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Season with salt, pepper, spices, or chili flakes before baking for extra flavor. These nutty savory chicken cracklings make a fantastic topping for soups, salads, grain bowls, or just enjoyed on their own as a snack.
2. Enhance Soups and Stews
Add leftover chicken skin to soups, stews, and broths to infuse them with more chicken flavor. The skin will impart extra body, texture, and taste as it simmers. Try adding a few pieces of chicken skin to chicken noodle soup, vegetable beef stew, or any broth-based dish.
3. Make Schmaltz
Render chicken fat (schmaltz) by slowly cooking chicken skins in a pan over low heat until the fat melts away and you’re left with crispy bits (called gribenes). Strain and save the liquid golden chicken fat to use for cooking or frying. Enjoy the gribenes as a crunchy topping for dishes.
4. Flavor Rice or Grains
Infuse more rich chicken flavor into rice, quinoa, farro or other grains by cooking them in broth made with the chicken skins. You can also sauté grains or rice in a bit of schmaltz for extra flavor. The natural chicken fat adds moisture, taste, and richness.
5. Enhance Pan Sauces and Gravies
After cooking chicken, simmer chicken skins in the pan juices to make a rich and flavorful base for sauces and gravies. The collagen in the skin will thicken the liquid and add savory chicken flavor. You can discard the skins before serving or blend them into the sauce.
6. Make a Snackable Seasoning
Dehydrate leftover chicken skins in a very low oven or dehydrator until completely dried out and crispy. Then grind the dried skins in a food processor or spice grinder to make your own homemade chicken skin seasoning powder. Sprinkle as a savory, salty topping.
7. Add to Chicken Salad or Pâté
Minced chicken skin adds moisture, richness, and flavor to chicken salads, chicken pâtés, rillettes, or spreads. The fatty skin balances lean chicken in these dishes. Add just a bit and pulse into the mixture for a silky, meaty texture.
8. Flavor Vegetables or Beans
Sauté vegetables like kale spinach, broccoli green beans, or carrots in a bit of rendered schmaltz instead of oil or butter. Beans also benefit from a touch of chicken fat while simmering. The natural chicken flavor adds a subtle meaty depth.
You can make something tasty out of the chicken skins you have left over from roasting or a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Make cracklings out of them, add them to sauces to make them better, or use them to spice up other foods. Chicken skin can be used in many different ways and should be given another chance in the kitchen.
Tips for Preparing and Cooking Chicken Skin
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To help the chicken skin get crispy, pat it dry before cooking. Refrigerating it uncovered for about an hour helps remove moisture.
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Before you crisp the skin, poke holes in it with a fork to let the fat render and the water escape.
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Cook chicken skin in a 400-450°F oven or pan over medium-low heat to render fat and get crispy.
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Season chicken cracklings before cooking or sprinkle salt after cooking. Other good seasoning options include pepper, paprika, garlic powder, or cayenne.
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Save any rendered chicken fat (schmaltz) after cooking to use for sautéing vegetables, cooking eggs, roasting potatoes, or flavoring rice. Store covered in the refrigerator.
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Grind up dried chicken skin in a food processor to make your own seasoning powder. Store in an airtight container.
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Use chicken fat and pan drippings to make incredibly rich broths and sauces.
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Add just a small amount of minced chicken skin to chicken salads, pâtés, rice dishes, etc. A little goes a long way for added flavor and moisture.
Chicken skin can transform dishes by adding salty, savory, fatty flavor. With a bit of preparation, this often discarded ingredient can be turned into a variety of crunchy, crispy, delicious treats and ingredients. Get creative with these kitchen scraps and you may just find chicken skin becoming a prized staple.
Remove the Skin
Start by peeling the skin from the cooked bird—this will be easiest if your chicken has been separated into parts (breast, leg, thigh, etc. ), but you can also peel the skin from a whole chicken and tear it into bite-size pieces.
Pan-Fry the Skin
Toss in the chicken skin in a single layer—you should hear a satisfying sizzle when the pieces hit the oil. Pan-fry each piece for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. If one side of your pan is cooking faster than the other, feel free to move the chicken skin around as the pieces cook—youre not trying to sear anything here. Instead youre rendering out the remaining fat and removing any moisture which is what caused that skin to go flabby in the first place. Moving the pieces around will help everything cook more evenly.
2 FAST & Easy Chicken Skin Recipes
FAQ
Is there anything you can do with chicken skin?
Rendering: The skin can be rendered to extract fat, which is then used to produce chicken fat (schmaltz) or other products like oils and flavorings. By-products: The skin may be processed into pet food or animal feed, as it contains protein and fat that can be beneficial for animal nutrition.
What is eating chicken skin good for?
Most of the fat in chicken skin is unsaturated fat, which is very beneficial for cardiovascular health. Dec 27, 2024.
Should you throw away chicken skin?
What do you do with chicken skin leftover from another recipe? Never throw away chicken skin! It’s so tasty when crisped up and baked in the oven. The drier the chicken skin, the more crispy the chicken skin cracklings will be. Take the skin off the meat by pulling with a thick paper towel.
What to do with extra chicken bones and Skin?
To make chicken crackers, lay the skin flat on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake until crispy. I like to sprinkle cane sugar on top to give them a mild sweetness. Can work crumbled on salads or pasta bakes as well as larger pieces with ice cream surprisingly enough.
What are the dangers of eating chicken skin?
Two chicken drumsticks with skin, or even just one chicken thigh, can give you more than 10% of your daily vitamin D needs, which is a lot. Eating two chicken drumsticks or a chicken thigh with skin can get you upward of 10% of your daily vitamin D values.
How do you make chicken skins?
Preheat the oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up). Pat dry the chicken and lay flat on the foil. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken skins. Bake chicken skins for ~ 13-16 minutes or until crispy. 10 minutes may work for thighs, drums may be 12 minutes, breasts may be 16 minutes.
How can you get rid of chicken skin?
Take the skin off the meat by pulling with a thick paper towel. Pat the skin dry or put in refrigerator for an hour if you have time. Refrigerating the chicken skin will help dry it out. Thigh and breast skin are the largest pieces and lay the flattest. Drumstick chicken skin is smaller so there’s not a lot of yield compared to the breast or thigh.
What are the benefits of chicken skin?
Chicken skin even has Omega-3 fatty acids, known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, and overall beneficial effect for health in general. Vitamin E can be found naturally in chicken skin, though it’s not very much given how much you can and should eat.