Crispy Roasted Chicken Skins (Baked Cracklings) Recipe & Video- Eat Simple Food

Name: Crispy Roasted Chicken Skins (Baked Cracklings)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: ~1 tsp vegetable oil; 8 chicken thigh, drum, or breast skins; salt; black pepper

Jump to Recipe

This crispy oven roasted chicken skin recipe (AKA chicken skin cracklings) makes a fast and easy snack. Oven bake chicken skin at 450F ~ 10 minutes.

6 crispy roasted chicken thigh and leg skins on a small rectangle wood cutting board with an orange square small serving dish of hot sauce.

Roasted crispy chicken skin / baked cracklings are a simple flavorful snack that's finger lickin' good.

Chicken skins are better and crispier when eaten right away but can be rewarmed at 300F in the oven ~ 6-8 minutes to try and get them crispy again.

What Do You Do With Chicken Skin?

Never throw away chicken skin! It's so tasty when crisped up and baked in the oven.

The drier the chicken skin, the more crispy the chicken skin cracklings will be. Take the skin off the chicken by pulling with a thick paper towel. Pat the skin dry or put in refrigerator for an hour if you have time. Refrigerating the chicken skin will help dry it out.

Thigh and breast skin are the largest pieces and lay the flattest. Drumstick chicken skin is smaller so there's not a lot of yield compared to the breast or thigh. Drum chicken skin is also thicker because of the way it is pulled off so may take a minute or two more baked in the oven.

Chicken skins shrink when baked in the oven so season conservatively with salt, pepper, and any other spices.

Raw Chicken Skin (Thighs and Drumsticks) on a baking sheet. Half of baking sheet is lined with aluminum foil. — Cook the chicken skins on a baking sheet. If cooking unlined the time will be less in the oven ~8-10 minutes total. If cooked on an aluminum lined baking sheet the time will increase to 12- 15 minutes total.

Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Skin Variations

Other spices that would be delicious on crispy chicken skins are:

cayenne pepper, chili powder, ancho pepper powder
lemon pepper, thyme, and rosemary
curry powder and coriander
Italian seasoning or all purpose seasoning
a squeeze of lemon juice or vinegar

What Temp do I Bake Crispy Cracklings At In The Oven?

Everybody's oven is different! Some cook hotter or colder than others. Some bake better or hotter in the front or back or on the right or left sides.

Having said that, these chicken skins get crispy when baked at 450F in the oven.

Get to know your oven and rotate the pan of chicken skins if needed. Tip - reduce or increase the temperature if oven recipes consistently don't get desired results.

Crispy browned chicken skins on a plate lined with white paper towels. — *Place crispy cooked chicken skins (cracklings) on a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess grease.*

How To Make Crispy Chicken Skins in The Oven:

Pre-heat oven to 450F.
Dry the chicken skin on the chicken with paper towels.
Pull off the chicken skin from the breast, thigh, or drum with a paper towel.
Lay on an aluminum lined baking sheet with a light layer of vegetable oil.
Bake chicken skins in the oven for ~10-15 minutes at 450F.

Crispy Chicken Skin / Oven Baked Chicken Cracklings FAQS:

Are cracklings the same as chicken skin?

YUP. Same thing, different name. Both crispy.

Can I use the schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) that's leftover from baking the chicken skins?

Yup! The chicken skins cook in their own fat and there will be leftover fat on the pan. Save it in a jar and place in the refrigerator or immediately throw some veggies on the sheet pan and roast them in the fat and chicken fond (little bits and pieces).

Do I cook the chicken skin on a lined or an unlined sheet pan?

Cooking chicken skin directly on the sheet pan (no aluminum foil) will make it easier to remove the chicken skin from the pan. It will also cook quicker.

If you cook chicken skin on an unlined sheet pan, check chicken skins at ~9-10 minutes as they will be done faster. I prefer this method but aluminum foil is easier clean up.

Crispy Roasted Chicken Skins (Baked Cracklings)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Print Recipe

EatSimpleFood.com

This oven roasted chicken skin (AKA baked cracklings) recipe makes a great snack and you also have no waste when you're using the meat for a different recipe.

Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 (2 each) 1x

Ingredients

Scale

~1 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 chicken thigh, drum, or breast skins
salt
black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and lightly oil the foil.
Pat dry the chicken and lay flat on the foil. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken skins.
Bake chicken skins for ~ 13-16 minutes or until crispy. 10 minutes may work for thighs, drums may be 12 minutes, breasts may be 16 minutes.
Lay on paper towels to soak up the grease (or a drying rack) and cool down. Happy snackin'! Beckie

Notes

Cooking chicken skin directly on the sheet pan (no aluminum foil) will make it easier to remove from the pan. It will also cook quicker. If you cook chicken skin on an unlined sheet pan, check chicken skins at ~9-10 minutes as they will be done faster. I prefer this method but aluminum foil is easier clean up.
Chicken skins shrink when baked in the oven so season conservatively with salt, pepper, and any other spices.

Author: beckie
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Appetizer
Method: Oven
Cuisine: International
Diet: Comfort Food, Dairy-Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo