Fried Chicken Skins

I’m not going to pretend this is healthy–fried chicken skins are a devilish thing. So crunchy and full of fried goodness.

When I buy chicken thighs with the skins on, I take the skin off each piece and stock pile them in the freezer. When I get a small tupperware full, I start thinking it’s time to be a little bad.

I don’t deep fry because I don’t like using so much oil, so I shallow fry my chicken skins. The natural fat from the skins will eventually leak out and combine with the oil.

All you have to do is fill the bottom of a pan with your choice of oil. In my case, I use olive oil for everything; it’s not the best frying oil because it’s got a low smoke point, but it’s my favorite oil because it lowers bad cholesterol.

Once the oil is hot enough (you’ll know if you splash some water in it and it sizzles), place enough chicken skins to fill the bottom of the pan. Turn the skins occasionally. They’re ready when they’re golden brown and firm.

I recommend pouring vinegar and sprinkling salt over the skins immediately after fishing them out. The vinegar cuts the fat, and the tartness with the salt rounds out the flavor.