So I did a thing, and it came out fantastic.
I often use a rotisserie to cook boneless chicken breasts, but buying boneless chicken has gotten too expensive. So now I usually just buy a whole chicken and break it down myself, or I buy bone-in chicken breasts and de-bone them myself. I'll sometimes use the leftover bones and bits for stock if I am gonna make soup that week, but I usually just toss the skin. But I recently ran across a video of Jacques Pepin cooking a chicken dish and he said he never wasted the skin and liked using it to make chicharrones in the oven. So last night, I gave it a try and I will NEVER throw chicken skin away again.
If you have never done this before, it is very easy. Just spread/lay the skin out (skin side down, fat side up) in a no-stick baking sheet. Hit the inside of the skin lightly with a little bit of salt, some black pepper and some sweet paprika (or whatever spices you might like to try) - just don't go too heavy on the salt, because the skin shrinks and it will be concentrate the salt/spices that are there. Then bake the skin in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, then drain any excess fat off and flip the skin over and let it go another 10 minutes or so until it is done. Keep an eye on it and remove it when it is golden brown and crispy or to your desired texture. I was surprised how in incredibly good this turned out. It tastes like really good quality bacon.
I often use a rotisserie to cook boneless chicken breasts, but buying boneless chicken has gotten too expensive. So now I usually just buy a whole chicken and break it down myself, or I buy bone-in chicken breasts and de-bone them myself. I'll sometimes use the leftover bones and bits for stock if I am gonna make soup that week, but I usually just toss the skin. But I recently ran across a video of Jacques Pepin cooking a chicken dish and he said he never wasted the skin and liked using it to make chicharrones in the oven. So last night, I gave it a try and I will NEVER throw chicken skin away again.
If you have never done this before, it is very easy. Just spread/lay the skin out (skin side down, fat side up) in a no-stick baking sheet. Hit the inside of the skin lightly with a little bit of salt, some black pepper and some sweet paprika (or whatever spices you might like to try) - just don't go too heavy on the salt, because the skin shrinks and it will be concentrate the salt/spices that are there. Then bake the skin in a 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes, then drain any excess fat off and flip the skin over and let it go another 10 minutes or so until it is done. Keep an eye on it and remove it when it is golden brown and crispy or to your desired texture. I was surprised how in incredibly good this turned out. It tastes like really good quality bacon.
