Chicken skin is a point of contention at my house. When we’re making roast chook (The Town Mouse’s version, say), my wife is perfectly happy to eat the crisp, golden-brown skin that emerges from the oven. But when it comes to chicken simmered in liquid (as in Patty Antico’s khao soi) she can’t stand the sodden, floppy bits of skin that end up lurking in the bowl.
I get it, even though I’ll happily eat both. When I’m cooking chicken curries, soups and stews, I’ve taken to buying skinless cuts or removing the skin myself and (regretfully) throwing it away.
Recently, though, I remembered a Broadsheet article about çılbır, a classic Turkish dish of poached eggs, butter and yoghurt, which Melbourne restaurant Tulum serves with roasted chicken skin.
To prepare the skin, the article says, “Tulum’s chefs scrub it free from meat scraps and any thick fat, sprinkle it with salt, then stretch it out between sheets of baking paper. It’s cooked at 180 degrees with a heavy tray on top to keep the skin flat. After about 25 minutes, flabby white turns to crunchy golden. The skin is snapped into shards and three are placed on each plate.”
Um, what? Why didn’t anyone tell me about this sooner? I grew up eating pork crackling at Christmas lunches and other extended-family functions (it was always the highlight, to be honest) but I didn’t realise crackling could be made from my favourite meat too.
I now have a new, semi-regular habit with chicken curries, soups and stews. I take the skin off, turn it into crunchy, delectably salty shards, then crumble them over each bowl prior to serving. Admittedly, it’s not as good as pork crackling, but it adds a welcome bit of texture and, at my house, keeps everyone happy.
Chicken-skin crackling
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken skin (from the breast, drumstick or thigh area is easiest)
Salt
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Gently separate the chicken skin from the flesh, using your fingers or a small paring knife as necessary. Scrub the skin free from gristle and meat scraps, then rinse under cool water and pat dry.
Line a tray with baking paper and spread each piece of chicken skin flat on the tray. Sprinkle with a tiny amount of salt (it’s quite easy to overdo it and make the crackling inedibly salty). Place another sheet of baking paper over the skin, followed by a second tray on top to keep the skin flat as it cooks.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the skin has turned crunchy and golden brown. Cool, snap into shards and serve.
