19 Feb
Uncategorized

CRISPY SKIN CHICKEN

  • Posted by

If I were to ever have the need to use the beloved millennial phrase “on repeat” about something I cook, it would be about Crispy Skin Chicken. For my entire adult life, I have made this chicken recipe over and over (and over on repeat) and love until death do us part. It is THE BEST CHICKEN, friends and I am so excited for you to try it.

Yet, I’ve never shared the recipe here. And that reason has to do with Jane’s response to my description of the recipe, she says “But you’re not supposed to eat the chicken skin!”  That’s really what the hold up has been. I didn’t want to put a recipe for skin-on chicken on Healthy Seasonal Recipes because, well, it wasn’t particularly healthy.

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY SKIN CHICKEN

Crispy skin chicken is SOOOO SIMPLE to make. It is just four ingredients and if you follow these steps you will have amazingly crispy skin every time you make it.

USE BONE-IN CHICKEN THIGHS

  • This is key to the recipe, so note that you need to use bone-in chicken thighs. {Side note: Recently I heard Jenna Bush hadn’t ever had chicken thighs before, which I googled, and couldn’t find any evidence of, but I did find her playing Never Have I Ever in this funny video with Kathy Lee Gifford.} So I am not sure if she has or hasn’t had chicken thighs, but more important, if YOU have never had chicken thighs, then I am telling you, basically you haven’t lived. (Was that convincing enough?)
  • The reason you want bone in thighs is they don’t dry out. So you can cook them until the bottom is crispy, the skin is crispy and the meat is steaming hot and tender and just pulls right off the bone. What I love about that is you can be a slacker and not be super precise about pulling them out of the oven right at the perfect moment. Chicken thighs don’t turn to sawdust the way chicken breast does.

USE A HOT OVEN

  • Get you oven a-blazing! The most important part of getting the skin really crispy is having a good hot oven. That means preheating it to 425 degrees on convection.
  • Convection baking circulates the air around the outside of the chicken as it cooks, so that it cooks faster, and allows it to become much crispier. It’s almost like searing the outside of the chicken!

CHOOSE A HEAVY ROASTING PAN

I use a heavy handled roasting pan. The thickness of it helps to ensure even cooking and even distribution of the heat. I also love the fact that it is stovetop safe, so clean up is a breeze! (See more on that below.) I spray the pan with cooking spray before I lay the chicken down in it so it doesn’t stick to the pan.

PAT THE CHICKEN DRY 

Remember that moisture is the enemy of crispy skin, you want to make sure your chicken is not wet from the packaging. (Blot it dry with a paper towel if you need to.) And also take care so it is not crowded in the pan.

HOW TO SEASON CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN THIGHS

  • Salt: I use a heavy hand with the salt on these. Since the chicken meat itself doesn’t get any seasoning on it, you have to kinda over season the outside of the chicken. It also helps to form a nice crust on the outside. I use coarse kosher salt for this. If you’ve missed it, here’s what you need to know about subbing in a different salt.
  • My Favorite Spices and Herbs for Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs: Then comes decision time for the seasoning. I am a giant fan of Teeny Tiny Spice Company blends and have an entire shelf of my spice rack dedicated to these incredible small-batch Certified Organic blends. I have 17 cans of them right now. No lie. My two favorites to use for Crispy Skin Chicken are the Montreal Seasoning and the Shepherd Herb Mix. But I also love their Hot Italian and the Za’atar spice as well in this recipe. Really you can’t go wrong!
  • Other Herb Blends: I have made this with other spice blends as well. Regular old Italian Seasoning works awesome, as does Herbs de Provence. I also love the Greek Seasoning by McCormick, which is available at most grocery stores.
  • What About Spices: All of the blends I have mentioned are heavier on dried herbs and lighter on dried spices. Spices tend to darken a little too much, so when I use them for Crispy Skin Chicken I try to keep the spice mostly on the top of the chicken. But I still salt and pepper the bottom of the chicken.