Chicken Cracklins - Who knew? And why didn't you tell us?

[civilsmoker]

Like others have said (I'm guilty as well), I do them quite often and even took a pic of it a few weeks ago.... I like them with gravy like this.....

you get "Ooey Gooey" gravy with the crisp yummy texture....Bam Bam crackling money!!

Oh the other thing I do with "leftover" bird parts, ie when making boneless comp thighs, I do an oven roast on all the trimmings and thigh bones then in a pot and make bone broth..... Oh then that goes into the gravy above.....

 

[noboundaries]

Great ideas, CS! Thanks for sharing. It's all new to me so I'm absorbing the input like a sponge and water.

 

[indaswamp]

Nice idea civil! It also makes a great garnish/topping on chicken and dumplings! I like to julienne into strips first before making the cracklins, but you can just crumble them up on top...

 

[civilsmoker]

Nice idea civil! It also makes a great garnish/topping on chicken and dumplings! I like to julienne into strips first before making the cracklins, but you can just crumble them up on top...

My problem with this is none of it makes it off the cutting board……it be gone!

 

[Pepe53]

I like salty snacks, have for decades, but have gotten tired of chips, crackers, nuts, etc. No high blood pressure problems to worry about. Weight? Need to lose plenty, so was looking for something new that doesn't pack on the carbs or spike my blood sugar.

Jerky is great, but time consuming to make. Chicken and pork jerky is cheap to make but still takes time and planning. Pork rinds? Meh. And then I see a YouTube video on crispy baked chicken skin, aka chicken cracklins. Wow. I'm hooked.

I buy cheap bone-in, skin-on chicken or chicken parts in the bulk packs. I usually bone and skin them myself, using both to make broth. No longer. Now the skin gets spread on a rack, seasoned, and baked at 400°F until crispy about 30 minutes, give or take. They shrink like 75%. The fat gets rendered out leaving crunchy goodness.

I searched and did not find another thread about chicken skin cracklins. Forgive me for not having better pics, but this is all still an experiment for me...AND I LOVE IT!

Half-sheet pan and rack used for ten chicken thigh skins (spray both sides of the rack with oil for easier cleaning).
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The last cracklin' I made today before I thought to take a pic.
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Every chicken or chicken part I buy in the future will be skinned for cracklins.

Happy Crunchin'!

Ray

I’ve been cooking chicken skin for years however, I normally use a charcoal grill. I will try these in the oven, it may make the skin more crispy

 

[Sven Svensson]

Congratulations on being featured in Jeff's newsletter this morning! I've sort of made these in the past not putting any thought into them and it's convinced me these are better than the pork counterpart. They need to start breeding chickens to have the abundant skin of Basset Hounds.

 

[indaswamp]

They need to start breeding chickens to have the abundant skin of Basset Hounds.

LOL!!!

Just take a fat chicken and put them on your diet!!!!!

 

[Sven Svensson]

LOL!!!

Just take a fat chicken and put them on your diet!!!!!

Brilliant! I’m proof of that extra skin for sure.

 

[clifish]

Brilliant! I’m proof of that extra skin for sure.

OK, we don't need a post of Sven cracklins, no matter how much weight you lost!....lol BTW, you are my hero with your story, I wish I could stick with that long term.

 

[noboundaries]

I skinned and boned two 9-thigh packs of chicken this morning. First time I did so it took me almost 30 minutes for one 9-thigh pak. This morning? 10 minutes each pack, and I know I can get faster.

Last time I did not wear my cut-resistant gloves. My boning knife is razor sharp. I had a bunch of tiny, no-blood skin slices and one poke that required a bandaid and a nitrile glove. This time I wore my cutter gloves. I counted at least a half-dozen pokes while I was working. Zero cuts when I finished. Lesson learned!

BTW: I bought the gloves several years ago on Amazon. Just checked there for "XL cut resistant gloves." Still only $10.

 

[JLeonard]

They need to start breeding chickens to have the abundant skin of Basset Hounds.

Or like a Shar-pei dog.

Jim

 

[noboundaries]

Seasonings - pre-bake - post-bake.

Crunchy protein goodness.

 

[Nefarious]

Seasonings - pre-bake - post-bake.

Crunchy protein goodness.

I am going to have to try this. Thanks!

 

[noboundaries]

400°F is a little low, but it works. 450°F a little high and works faster. I'll do 425°F next time. I also needed to rotate the trays. Next time.

 

[noboundaries]

Tried something today that worked perfectly. Used 350°F and rendered for 45 minutes. It worked. Very even and crunchy.

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

when making these, does it help to scrape the insides of the skin to remove as much of the fat as possible before seasoning and putting into the oven?

 

[civilsmoker]

Tried something today that worked perfectly. Used 350°F and rendered for 45 minutes. It worked. Very even and crunchy.

NB, I usually do mine at 350 - 375. IE 375 is my go-to roast or oven finish of steaks or birds if need be. Its hot enough to brown quickly but not hot enough to burn to quickly. If things start browning to fast I drop to 350.

 

[civilsmoker]

when making these, does it help to scrape the insides of the skin to remove as much of the fat as possible before seasoning and putting into the oven?

If you are doing them in the oven, just trim the edges of the skin were there is heavy fat. The pic that I posted above is actually skin from the breast and you don't have to do much for that. The oven renders the fat away and keeps the skin intact.