elements: water, fat, and protein (mostly collagen).
In order for it to become crisp, a few things must
happen. First, the collagen must convert to gelatin.
Next, the water must evaporate. Finally, the fat must
render and run off. What you’re left with is skin
that’s a crispy, golden brown shell of its former self.
To enhance the process, there are several things
you can do. First, start with relatively dry chicken.
Look for chickens that are labeled “air-chilled.”
Regular chickens are chilled in water, which adds
extra moisture to the skin and can prevent good
browning. Second, dry the skin well with paper
towels. Better yet, if you have the time, let the
chicken sit on a rack on a baking sheet, uncovered,
in the refrigerator for a day. This will jump-start the
drying process, allowing the skin to crisp faster in
the oven. But letting it rest for longer than a day is
not a good idea. Why is that?
Well, collagen breakdown is a time- and
temperature-dependent process that requires the
presence of moisture and a temperature of at least
160°F. For this reason, if you cook your chicken at
too low a temperature or let the skin dry too much
(by, say, allowing it to rest for several days
uncovered in the fridge), you’ll end up driving off the
moisture required for the collagen to turn into
gelatin. The skin becomes papery or leathery instead
of crisp.
Aiding the rendering of the fat can give you a big
boost in good crisping. To do this, you need to create
nandana
(Nandana)
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