Crispy chicken skin
Skin can't brown while it's wet. The oven first spends its energy boiling off that water at 100°C, and that's how you get soft, rubbery skin. Pat the skin very dry with paper towels first.
Salt it and leave it uncovered
Salt the skin, then leave the chicken uncovered in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Salt pulls out moisture, and the fridge's dry, moving air carries it away. The skin starts out tight and dry.
Low heat leaves skin limp
Skin sits on a layer of fat. At about 220°C (425°F) that fat melts and fries the skin from underneath. At 150°C (300°F) most of the fat stays in place, and the skin turns pale and chewy.
Judge by color
Near the end, the skin bubbles and sizzles as the last fat melts out. Judge by color, not time: pull the chicken when the skin is deep golden brown. Then check that the thigh reads at least 74°C (165°F).
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
True or false: Salting chicken skin and leaving it uncovered in the fridge dries the skin out.
True. Salt pulls moisture out of the skin and the fridge's dry air carries it off, so the skin dries before cooking.
You roast chicken at 150°C (300°F) and the skin stays pale and chewy. What's the best fix?
Roast near 220°C (425°F) so the fat melts fast. A hot oven melts the fat and dries the skin quickly enough to crisp it.
Fill the blank: For extra crackly skin, toss it with salt and a little aluminum-free ___ before roasting.
For extra crackly skin, toss it with salt and a little aluminum-free baking powder before roasting. It raises the pH, so the skin browns faster and blisters.
What went wrong? You pat the skin dry, salt it, wrap the pan tightly in foil and roast. The skin comes out soft.
The foil trapped steam. Trapped steam keeps the skin wet and soft.
For the crispiest skin, how long should salted chicken sit uncovered in the fridge?
Overnight, about 8 to 24 hours. Most of the surface water is gone by morning.
Dry skin vs damp skin
Two chicken thighs, one paper towel.
Do the 20-minute experiment
