Cracklin' Chicken Thighs

Cracklin' Chicken Thighs are a family favorite. Many times, I do like to cook this outside on the gas burner on my gas grill.

4-6 people

Estimated cooking time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

8 chicken thighs skin-on, bone-in

  • 1 tablespoon Redmond real salt

  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil or ghee

  • 2 teaspoons favorite seasoning blend (optional)

Favorite Seasoning Mix

  • 7 tsp sea salt (I use Redmond Real Salt)

  • 2 tsp pepper

  • 2 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp paprika

HOW TO COOK:

1.Dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel. Then, starting at one end of each thigh, use a sharp pair of kitchen shears to carefully cut out the bone, making sure you don’t cut through the meat. Stay as close to the bone as possible. When you get to the other end, trim around the joint and cartilage and remove the bone. I save the bones in a freezer bag and place in the freezer for future bone broth. Trim any excess skin, but don’t cut too much away, because the skin will shrink when you fry it

2. Place chicken in between parchment paper flatten with a meat pounder. Turn the chicken skin-side-up, and sprinkle salt on the skin.

3. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Melt the coconut oil or ghee in the pan and place as many chicken thighs you can fit in the hot pan, skin-side down.

4. Season the meat side with your favorite seasoning blend. If your seasoning blend of choice doesn’t include salt, you may want to add a bit more kosher salt to the chicken.

5. Fry undisturbed until crispy and golden brown (around 7-10 minutes), rotating the pan 90 degrees at the halfway point to make sure the heat from the burner is uniformly distributed.

6. Flip the chicken and cook for 3 more minutes or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a wire rack and rest ’em for 5 minutes.

Repeat the steps above with any remaining thighs. When you’re ready to eat, slice them up and dig in!

Diane Kahanek