Should You Remove Chicken Skin Before or After Cooking

Question

So many recipes from Milk Street call for the interesting flavors to get rubbed into the chicken skin. At times, we don't want to eat the skin (for health reasons), or because the skin didn't crisp up. And definitely in leftovers, there's not much point since the skin is soggy then. What adjustments would we need to make if we wanted to just go skinless? Tonight's example is the Smoky Chicken and Sweet Potato Traybake, where the chicken skin did not crisp up. And without the skin, the chicken was just ... well, chicken.

Lynn Clark · Accepted Answer

Hi Cathy -
We would still recommend cooking the chicken with the skin on, even if you decide to remove it after cooking. The skin keeps the chicken moist and acts as a protective barrier to prevent the chicken from drying out in the hot oven. To address the seasoning issue, we would suggest loosening the skin and rubbing the mixture directly on the flesh to ensure you get the flavoring on the meat itself.
Best,
The Milk Street Cooking Team

Should You Remove Chicken Skin Before or After Cooking

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