Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Skin Secrets Revealed

If you're looking for a way to make chicken skin crispy in an air fryer, you've come to the right place! This method will give you delicious, crispy chicken skin that's perfect as a snack or as a topping for other dishes. Here's what you need to do:

Firstly, you'll need to pat the chicken skins dry and remove any excess fat. Then, season the skins with salt and any other desired spices. It's important to note that additional spices may burn during cooking, so it's recommended to season with salt before and add other spices after cooking.

Next, place the chicken skins in the air fryer basket, ensuring they are laid flat and in a single layer. Set your air fryer to cook at around 350-400°F for a total of 12-20 minutes, flipping the skins halfway through to ensure even cooking.

Once the chicken skins are golden and crispy, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a wire rack or paper towel to cool and drain any excess oil.

And that's it! You now have crispy chicken skins that can be enjoyed as a tasty snack or used to add texture and flavour to other meals.

Chicken skin preparation

Ingredients

Firstly, you will need to obtain chicken skins. Most butchers and grocery stores don't sell chicken skins by themselves, but you can buy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or breasts. You can then remove the skins and save them for cooking. You will need around 8 chicken skins for this recipe.

Method

• Remove the chicken skins from the chicken and pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Lightly scrape away any visible fat from the skins.
• If you want to season the skins before cooking, sprinkle a small amount of your chosen seasoning on the skins. Be aware that the flavour will intensify as the skins cook, so be sparing. You can also add a small amount of baking powder to your seasoning, as this will help the skins to bubble and crisp more evenly.
• Place the chicken skins in the air fryer basket in a single layer, skin-side down. If your air fryer is small, you may need to cook the skins in batches.
• Set the air fryer to 350-400°F and cook for 12 minutes.
• After 6 minutes, flip the skins over so they are skin-side up.
• Continue to cook for another 6-10 minutes, or until the skins are crispy. You may need to add an extra minute or two if the skins are still a little flabby.
• Remove the crispy skins from the air fryer and place them on a wire rack to cool.
• If you are cooking more skins, be sure to empty out the oil in the air fryer bin to prevent smoking.
• Once the skins have cooled, you can season them with your chosen spices, if you haven't already.

Tips

• You can line the bottom of the air fryer with foil or parchment paper to make clean-up easier.
• If you want to add spices to your chicken skins, it is best to do so after cooking, as spices and herbs can burn in the air fryer.
• If you want completely hard chicken skins, allow them to cool down completely before serving.
• Leftover chicken skins can become rubbery, so it is best to eat them on the day of cooking.

Air fryer settings

The ideal temperature to cook chicken skin in an air fryer is 350-400°F. At this temperature, the chicken skin will be ready in 10-15 minutes. However, the exact cooking time may vary depending on the size of the chicken skin and the wattage of your air fryer.

If you are cooking chicken thighs with the skin on, place them skin-side down in the air fryer for the first 10-12 minutes, and then flip them over and cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is crispy.

If you are cooking chicken breasts with the skin on, you can follow a similar process, but you may need to adjust the cooking time. It is recommended to cook chicken breasts separately from other smaller pieces of chicken.

It is important not to overcrowd your air fryer, as this will affect the cooking process. Make sure to leave enough space between the chicken pieces for the air to circulate. If needed, cook the chicken in batches.

Additionally, it is recommended to preheat your air fryer for 5 minutes before adding the chicken. You can also spray the air fryer with cooking spray to prevent the chicken from sticking.

Finally, to check if the chicken is cooked, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Cooking time

The cooking time for chicken skin crisps in an air fryer is around 12 minutes in total. However, for the best results, it is recommended to flip the chicken skins over halfway through cooking, so that they cook evenly on both sides.

For example, one recipe suggests cooking chicken skins for 6 minutes, skin-side down, and then flipping them over to cook for another 6 minutes, or until crispy. Another recipe recommends cooking the chicken skins for 12 minutes in total, flipping them over after 6 minutes, and then adding an additional 1-2 minutes if the skins are fatty and need to be cooked for longer.

It is important to note that the cooking time may vary depending on the air fryer model and the number of chicken skins being cooked at once. It is also worth noting that the chicken skins will not be completely hard until they have cooled down, but they should be golden in colour.

If you are cooking chicken thighs with the skin on, the cooking time will be longer. One recipe recommends cooking the chicken thighs for 12 minutes, skin-side down, and then flipping them over and cooking for another 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Another recipe recommends cooking chicken thighs for a total of 15-20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through, and then spraying any remaining flour with cooking spray.

Seasoning

• Use a light hand when seasoning the chicken skins before placing them in the air fryer. The seasoning intensifies as the chicken renders and crisps.
• You can also add a small amount of baking powder to your seasoning blend. This helps the skins bubble and crisp more evenly, but be careful not to add too much, as it can affect the taste.
• For better control over the amount and intensity of seasoning, it is recommended to wait until the chicken skins come out of the air fryer.
• Sprinkle your preferred seasoning on the hot chicken skins, such as nutritional yeast, tomato powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, or garlic salt.
• You can also cut the chicken skin into bite-size pieces and use them as a crunchy topping on stir-fries, noodles, or soups.

Other Tips:

• If you are using an oven instead of an air fryer, place another piece of parchment paper on top of the chicken skins and a baking sheet on top to keep them flat.
• If you want to eliminate some of the mess from the coating in your air fryer, you can use air fryer-specific parchment liners with holes in them.

Clean-up

Cleaning up after making chicken skin chips in an air fryer is straightforward. If you lined the bottom of your air fryer with foil or parchment paper, carefully lift it up and throw it away. If not, you can simply pour out any excess chicken fat from the bottom of the air fryer.

If you seasoned your chicken skins with salt before cooking, you shouldn't have to worry about any stuck-on seasoning. However, if you did season them before cooking, you may need to give your air fryer basket a quick wipe with a damp cloth or sponge.

For a deeper clean, you can wash the air fryer basket with hot water and a mild detergent. Be sure to dry it thoroughly before using it again.

If you have an air fryer with a removable non-stick basket, clean-up is even easier. Simply remove the basket and wash it in the sink with hot water and a mild detergent. Again, be sure to dry it thoroughly before using it again.

With proper cleaning and maintenance, your air fryer will be ready for your next culinary adventure!

Frequently asked questions