Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs

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Getting a perfect piece of Crispy Skin Chicken can be a challenging task, but it doesn’t need to be anymore. This recipe of ours has been perfected over years (actually, more like decades) of enjoying skin-on Chicken and cooking it in so many ways to achieve optimal crispiness. There are a few easy techniques we’ll share with you in this recipe to produce the most amazing tasting Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs that you can prepare for dinner tonight!

As with all proteins, the key to achieving a crispy skin is removing moisture

If you have excess moisture in the skin when you go to cook it, you’ll find it very difficult to get the skin crispy. The key to success is trying to extract as much of that moisture from the skin before you start cooking it. Less moisture means the skin has no ability to stay hydrated, therefore becoming crispy!

Depending on the type of protein you are cooking there are several ways to remove moisture. For Salmon we scrape off the excess moisture with the back of a knife. With Pork and Duck, we like to refrigerate the protein for 2 – 3 days exposed to the dry, cold air before cooking. For Chicken Thighs, it’s a little different, and way easier

All you need to do to remove the excess moisture from your Chicken Thighs is to pat them dry with a paper towel then give the skin a generous sprinkling with Salt. The Salt will dry out the skin, and you’ll begin to see droplets of moisture starting to appear at the surface of the skin

We recommend leaving the Chicken at room temperature for about 1 hour after you’ve salted it

By leaving the Chicken exposed to room temperature you are not only allowing the salt to begin extracting the moisture from the skin, but you’re allowing the internal temperature of the Chicken to increase

Especially if you are preparing Chicken Thighs that are still on the bone, it is very important that you bring the Chicken to room temperature before cooking. If you cook the Chicken when it’s still cold, the outside of the Chicken will be completely cooked while the middle will still be raw

Of course, with Chicken, that’s a big no-no. There are some huge healthy risks involved with eating Chicken that is undercooked. Always ensure your Chicken is cooked to 160F before eating. Unlike other protein like Beef and Fish, eating uncooked Chicken will make you very sick

The other benefit of leaving your Chicken at room temperature is you allow more time for the Salt to do its job

After about 20 minutes after salting, you will notice that the surface of the skin has formed tiny droplets of moisture. For our Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs, we recommend patting the surface down the remove the moisture, then adding a little more Salt

Therefore, in another 20 minutes or so you’ll see more of those droplets form on the skin. Pat it down again, then give it one more light sprinkling of Salt. Don’t worry about potentially over salting your Chicken, we’re only hitting the skin with Salt, not the rest of the meat. So when biting into the Chicken it’ll be an evenly flavored, well-seasoned bite of food

Cooking the Chicken Thighs to get that skin beautiful and crispy

The cooking process for the Chicken is very simple, and guaranteed to produce beautiful, crispy skin every time. Once you’ve dried the skin out using the Salt technique mentioned above, heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. We recommend a heavy-based pan such as a Cast Iron Skillet if possible. These pans conduct heat better than anything else and will ensure an even cook throughout

Add a little bit of Neutral Oil to the pan such as Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil. Once the Oil is hot, carefully place the Chicken pieces skin-side-down onto the pan. Give the Chicken a light press to ensure that all the skin makes good contact with the hot pan

Cook the Chicken skin-side down for 10 minutes until the skin is crispy and has turned a golden-brown color. Flip the Chicken over then reduce the heat to medium to cook the remainder of the Chicken

At this point, you can cook the Chicken on the flesh side until it is fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Once it hits a temperature of 160F, remove the Chicken from the pan and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing / serving

A nice little trick to finish the Chicken is to turn it back over skin-side down for 1 – 2 more minutes once it’s completely cooked to give the skin a second go at being exposed to the heat. By this stage all the Chicken fat will have rendered from the Chicken, so that fat can serve as another layer of not only flavor, but helps to further crisp up the Chicken

If you are cooking bone-in Chicken Thighs, we recommend using an oven proof pan and roasting them to completion

Once you’ve got a crispy skin, instead of cooking the flesh side in the pan it is much easier and faster to finish the cooking in the Oven. Set the oven temperature to 375F and place the Chicken in the oven for the remainder of the cook. Depending on the size of the Chicken pieces it’ll take about 8 – 10 minutes to cook. Once the internal temperature reaches 160F, remove from the oven and allow to rest before serving

Split-Peas with Bacon and Mushrooms are one of many great dishes to pair with perfectly cooked Chicken Thighs

What to serve with Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs

There’s no doubt about it, Chicken is one of the most versatile proteins you can cook with. There are limitless options on what else to serve alongside your beautiful Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs. It’s really all about what you feel like

We’ve got a great recipe here for Harissa Chicken with Roast Vegetables, which serves as a great, full meal to enjoy your Chicken. The pairing of spicy Harissa alongside beautifully caramelized roast Vegetables is a treat, and is so easy to make

Another one we love, and what features in some of the photos in this recipe is serving the Chicken with our Split-Pea, Bacon and Mushroom dish. It’s a fun play on a more traditional lentil salad, but instead of Lentils, we use Split Peas. Oh, and instead of Salad, we use Bacon and Mushrooms!

Whatever you decide to pair with your Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs, we just know you’re going to love enjoying their beautiful crispy texture and juicy, delicious flavor

Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Skin-on Chicken Thighs
• 2 tsp. Neutral Oil (eg: Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil)
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Salt the Chicken skin generously and then leave on a flat surface at room temperature for 1 hour
2. Pat the Chicken skin down every 20 minutes or so to remove moisture droplets, then add a little bit more Salt. Repeat this process until the Chicken reaches room temperature
3. Heat a large frying pan or Cast-Iron Skillet over medium high heat along with the Neutral Oil. Once hot, carefully place the Chicken Thighs onto the frying pan skin-side down
4. Gently press down on the Chicken to ensure all of the skin has made contact with the hot pan. Season the exposed flesh-side of the Chicken with some Salt then cook for 10 minutes until the skin is golden-brown and crispy
5. Flip the Chicken and cook the flesh side for about 5 minutes until the internal temperature of the Chicken is 160F. Turn the Chicken oven and give the skin 1 more minute on the pan, then remove and rest for 5 minutes
6. Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!
   
   

Recipe Notes

• If cooking bone-in Chicken Thighs, we recommend finishing them in the oven once you’ve flipped them over to their flesh side. It will cook quicker and more evenly in the oven set at 375F
• If oven roasting, we recommend using an oven-safe frying pan, so you don’t need to transfer pans during the cooking process
  
  

This recipe is all you need to achieve the most amazing Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs you’ve ever tasted. They’re such a delicious protein and pair well with so many amazing sides. In fact, we recommend you check out our full range of Side Dish recipes here and pick one to pair with the Chicken

Here are a few of our favorites that pair great with Chicken:

• Hearty Split Peas with Bacon
• Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes
• Authentic German Potato Salad
• White Wine Braised Leeks
  
  

Happy Cooking!