crispy chicken thighs with lime and chili shallots
featuring what might just be the single best way to get crispy chicken skin
i’ve been working in the food media space for nearly 10 years, and over that time i’ve been exposed to so many (probably too many) cooking tips and hacks. some meet contradictory matches, others could be helpful if not so inefficient, lots are literally useless, but most seem to be just a matter of preference or experience, because in cooking and baking there are usually multiple ways to reach the same end result.
that being said, one trick i always use to get super crispy chicken skin in a pan actually works (every time) and is easy to do with no special equipment or ingredients.
salt the chicken on both sides about 10-15 minutes before you plan to cook. pat dry on both sides; really getting the skin especially as dry as you can. add to a “cold” pan (by this i mean not preheated, so room temperature), skin-side down, with a little bit of olive oil. turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until that skin is beautifully golden brown. flip and let it cook through on the other side.
that’s it. it’s a super simple, straightforward trick that works. as the heat builds, the fat renders out of the chicken, allowing it to sort of shallow fry in it’s own drippings, and as long as that skin is in contact with the pan, you’ll have an even, crispy finish. if you go to flip your chicken and it’s sticking, wait a bit longer; it shouldn’t stick at all once it’s ready to flip. watch me make this recipe here.
the lime and chili shallot mixture is a sort of no-cook sauce-slash-dressing that adds so much flavor to the simply prepared chicken thighs. it can be made in just the right amount of time while your salted chicken is waiting to hit the pan, allowing the acid from the vinegar and lime juice to gently soften the shallots and all the flavors to meld before serving. eat with steamed rice or even some toasted flatbread to soak up all the extra juices from the chicken and saucy shallots.
serves 2
for the chicken
4 boneless chicken thighs (if you can only find bone in, watch this quick video on how to debone at home, it’s not that hard, you can do it!)
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
for the shallots
2 small or 1 large shallot(s)
1 garlic clove
1 lime
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar (substitute: rice wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce (substitute: soy sauce)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chili crisp (if you like things less hot, halve or quarter this)
mint, basil or thai basil for garnish
season chicken generously with salt on both sides and set aside.
peel, halve and thinly slice shallot and add to a bowl. peel and grate garlic into the bowl. zest the lime and add, then halve and juice half the lime into the bowl. use your knife to remove the pith and skin from the remaining half of the lime and supreme, then add to the bowl. add vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar and chili crisp and stir to combine. taste and season with salt then add a splash more vinegar, soy and sugar if needed; the mixture should be very bright and punchy.
pat the chicken thighs dry on both sides with paper towels, making sure that especially the skin side is very dry. add to a cold skillet with a little bit of olive oil, skin-side down. turn the heat under the pan to medium-high and let cook, undisturbed for 8-12 minutes; the skin should be deep golden brown and very crisp and the chicken should be easy to lift with no sticking. flip and turn the heat to low, letting the chicken cook for another 5 minutes or until completely cooked through.
to serve, add the shallot mixture to a serving plate and top with the chicken thighs or vice versa. finish with herbs as desired and enjoy immediately.