Chicken Skin Chips (Crackling) (VIDEO)

Crispy chicken skin chips on a paper towel seasoned with spices.

5 from 39 votes

Chicken Skin Chips (Crackling) (VIDEO)

This FOOLPROOF crispy Chicken Skin Chips (Cracklings) recipe is a great low carb or paleo snack, or crispy topping! Learn how to make this crunchy snack in the pan, oven, or air fryer!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Nonstick Pan

Ingredients

½ lb chicken skin about 8 pieces of skin removed from thigh or breast, including any excess yellow fat from the chicken
½ cup water
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Place chicken skin face down in a cold nonstick pan along with any excess chicken fat.
Turn the heat to medium and cook until you hear sizzling, about 1-2 minutes.
Add water to the pan and bring to a high simmer. Reduce the heat back to medium and continue cooking until the water has evaporated, leaving the rendered fat to crisp up the skin, flipping as needed until a deep golden brown.
Remove and drain on a paper towel. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle on chicken skin while hot.
Alternatively, cut chicken skin into bite size pieces and use on top of stir fries, noodles, soups for extra crunch. Strain the rendered chicken fat into a glass or airtight container to use for potatoes or vegetables!

Video

Notes

Chicken Skin Tips

when removing the skin from the chicken thighs or breast, try to keep them intact - larger pieces are easier to fry, have less of a tendency to curl, and they will shrink considerably when cooked.
For this recipe, I used about 8 pieces of skin. Make sure to keep any excess yellow fat from the chicken.
I like to render the fat out and save as a cooking fat in an airtight container for cooking potatoes or other vegetables!

Lay the chicken skin fat side down in a cold pan, and let the chicken skin render in the pan as it gradually comes to temperature. This initial rendering of the fat will help the chicken skin hold its shape resulting in flat pieces.

Use a large, non-stick pan to avoid any skin tearing if/when stuck to the pan.

Season after cooking (not before!) - the chicken skin will shrink considerably once cooked, so seasoning before can lead to them being overseasoned.

Air Fryer Instructions: Place the chicken skins in a flat layer in air fryer basket and sprinkle with a touch of kosher salt. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the chicken skin and a flat ceramic plate to keep the chicken skins flat (if you are ok with them curling up, you can omit this step). Air fry at 350F for 15 minutes or until the skin is crispy, remove, and season.

Oven Instructions: Place a piece of parchment paper on one baking sheet and lay the chicken skins flat on the baking sheet and season with salt. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the skin and a baking sheet on top of the chicken skin to keep them flat. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until the skin is crispy, remove and season.

Storage: Store in an airtight container or plastic ziplock bag for 2-3 days. They will keep longer than this but they may not be as crunchy.

Nutrition