chicken crackling

You know pork crackling, sometimes called scratchings? Well, I've discovered that chicken scratchings are really good.

If you buy chicken pieces, rather than a whole bird, you often don't want the skin that comes with it. For instance, you might buy a "family pack" of chicken thighs on the cheap, with the plan of using them to make a chicken stew or whatever. Well, for that, you really don't want the skin on the thighs, it will just come out all soggy and nasty if you leave it on there. But what do you do with it after you pull it off?

Answer: stretch them out flat on a baking pan or cookie sheet or something like that. Dust liberally with your favorite poultry seasoning (I like to use Emeril's Essence, he knows what he's doing). And then bake them at 375 until they're light and crispy. Mop them off with paper towel (they are indeed greasy when first out of the oven), and enjoy.

Compared to pork rinds, they really are light, almost delicate. The flavor is under your control. And if you mop the excess grease off, they aren't even all that greasy. I find myself wolfing them down as an appetizer, and they don't even spoil my appetite for the main course.

All the fat's in the skin. Of course it tastes good.

After you've baked it for a while, the fat's almost all rendered out. You have to cook it for long enough for it to get crispy. What's left is crunchy and light, not as fat as (for example) potato chips.

richard09 wrote:

Dust liberally with your favorite poultry seasoning (I like to use Emeril's Essence, he knows what he's doing).

Emeril's Essence is 1/6 salt. That's another no-no for me.