#ewew makes Salt-&-Pepper Crispy Chicken Skin

I've seen contestants making crispy chicken skin countless times on Masterchef Australia when they wanted to have a crispy element on their dish.  And it's always the same, just put them between two sheet pans and shove it into the oven.

It looked simple enough for me to attempt.  But that was a cooking show and they didn't show us how it was actually done or, more precisely, how long it needs in the oven.  I had to google "how to make crispy chicken skin" and most of the results say to bake at 180°C or 190°C for 40 minutes to an hour.  So, here comes my attempt at making Salt-&-Pepper Crispy Chicken Skin.

To prep the skin, just make sure you scrape off any visible fat from the underside of the skin.

To be successful at this, you have to start with dry skin.  The dryer the skin, the crispier it will be when cooked.  After defrosting the chicken skin (from two whole chicken breasts), I used a paper towel to dab dry the skin as much as possible.

I then laid it on a paper towel to absorb whatever moisture there is from the chicken skin.  I popped it back in the fridge until I'm ready to cook (leaving it in the fridge uncovered dries it out further).

But I took one more step to ensure the skin was dry by taking it out of the fridge (about half an hour before) and putting it on the table under a fan to (kind of) blow dry the chicken skin.  Think of it like how they'd hang and fan-dry a duck or chicken before roasting to achieve crispy skin.....same concept! ;)

Lay the skins on a sheet of baking paper on top of a baking tray.  Season generously with salt and freshly cracked black pepper as it needs to be slightly salty.

Then put another piece of baking paper on top and use another baking tray to press down on top.  This is to prevent the skin from curling.

I decided to bake at 200°C oven and it was ready in 30 minutes.  As you can see, the chicken skin oozes out a fair bit of oil.

So, I would suggest that you let the chicken skin drain on a paper napkin for a while...or, better still, use a tissue and lightly dab on the skin to remove the excess oil (if you can't wait to eat it, that is!).

My Salt-&-Pepper Crispy Chicken Skin look good or what? ;)  You can certainly amp it up or play around with other seasonings like paprika, garlic powder or whatever flavour pleases you.

Look just how thin & crispy it is...great on its own as a snack :)  I've even seen a recipe that asks you to serve the (broken-up) crisps with fried garlic chips, some lime zest and a light drizzle of honey (sounds good too!).

Some parts of the skin is so thin that it's almost see-through!  You can use it as a garnish to provide that crispy element to your dish.

The skins can be baked a few hours ahead.  They managed to stay crispy even two hours later when I had some leftovers, otherwise store in an airtight container.

It's salty, crispy goodness in a bite!  And it's ok to be a little 'naughty'...sometimes! ;)

The crispy chicken skin works even better with Aglio Olio Spaghetti =)

Just crush the chicken skin into smaller bits.....and "tabur" (sprinkle) on your aglio olio (ratio of one skin per plate of pasta is quite adequate).

Who needs bacon.....

....when you have crispy chicken skin! ;D

I used to throw away the skin when I bought chicken breast (for Cookie) but now that I've been successful in making crispy chicken skins, I guess I'll have to reconsider before throwing them away now.

So, enjoy.....take a walk on the wild side...come on....you know you want one! ^_*