How To Rescue Leftover Chicken Skin

To be clear, the best way to rescue leftover chicken skin is to make sure you eat the entire dish when it's freshly made. And if you absolutely have to leave something on the plate, let it be breast meat or those stubborn pieces that cling to the roast chicken carcass — not the crispy, delicious skin! That being said, if you do feel inclined to save a bit of chicken skin for later, there are some things you can do to rescue those leftovers from a soggy demise.

Moisture is the enemy of crispiness, and once chicken skin has been over-exposed to steam or a cold fridge it loses that coveted texture. The best way to revive crispy skin, therefore, is to reintroduce heat back into the equation. First, you should remove all remaining skin from the chicken; the meat can go in the microwave, but the skin needs special treatment. After that, how you want to reheat the skin is up to you. You can pan-fry it in a skillet with a bit of oil, or you can lay it flat on a baking tray (also with oil) and heat it in the oven. You can even give it the air fryer treatment, if you have one of those. No matter the method, the end result will ideally be beautifully crispy skin that has had the moisture and fat rendered out of it. All that's left is to decide how to eat it.

Once your leftover chicken skin is hot and freshly re-crisped, it's important to season it with salt and your spices of choice. How you season your skin will directly affect the success of the dish you add it to — and the most straightforward way to add this type of leftover to other dishes is to use it like a topping. Those pieces of crispy skin are essentially like flavor-delivery missiles that add a savory pop to whatever they make contact with. Elevate your routine salad with chicken skin that has been reseasoned with simple salt and black pepper. Give your congee, a savory rice porridge eaten in Asian countries, a kick by garnishing it with chicken skin seasoned with a light sprinkle of cayenne. You can even smash them up into smaller pieces with a bit of garlic powder and sprinkle them on tacos. The topping possibilities are truly endless.

Alternatively, you could try to keep the chicken skin pieces as big as possible when reheating them for the purpose of using them like you would use bacon. Forget a bacon and egg breakfast and try chicken skin and eggs instead. Are you a fan of the humble BLT? Try a CSLT (chicken skin, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich as a delicious twist. With all these options, you might as well forget what was said in the first sentence of this article — hoard your leftover chicken skin like it's gold!