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Crispy Chicken

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Uncle Phil
Uncle Phil Posts: 669
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
A friend of mine who I got interested in cooking on the Egg had me over for dinner tonight to sample some chicken he had prepared on his Egg. It was very good and during the course of the meal, he asked how to get the skin crispy? I had no answer other than to crank the Egg up and finish the chicken off in hopes the skin would become crispy. Typically, crispy duck or other things are deep fried to get that crispness. So, my question for my fellow Egg-o-nites is have you ever created crispy duck or chicken on your Egg and if so, how did you do it.
Thanks in advance.

Uncle Phil
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Comments

  • Lei'd-n-Egg
    Lei'd-n-Egg Posts: 289
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    Hey Phil, I've seen a few posts on drying the chicken really well with paper towels and letting it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight so it dries out further. I know this works great with chicken wings, and assume it would help with large pieces and whole birds.

    Hopefully others will chime in too.
    Bryan
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  • RustyEgg
    RustyEgg Posts: 25
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    There are a couple of things that I've run across on the forum that will get you where you want to go. Before putting the chicken on the egg let it rest in the fridge for an hour or so. This will allow the skin to dry so that it is easier to crisp to your liking. You can also try dusting it with your favorite seasoning. I've had the best result with dusting, Dizzy Pig is very popular or you can create your own using flour and various seasonings.

    There's nothing like crispy chicken.

    RustyEgg
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  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,567
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    I never let it sit in the fridge for more then an hour mainly because I don't plan ahead that far then dust with a little corn starch. My skin is not like the gasser but its not burnt either.
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  • Lanier Jim
    Lanier Jim Posts: 505
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    I did one tonight for dinner. Whole chicken on VCR at 350 for 1:15. I did rinse and dry bird good with paper towels...rubbed it down good with the BGE Garlic and Pepper rub...then let it sit in fridge for about 30 minutes. Personally - I think using a VCR or V-Rack allows better airflow around entire bird. Another trick is to give the "dry" bird and little wipe down with some canola or olive oil...then the rub. At least - it works for me.

    Other opinions?

    LJ
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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
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    Check out the "Un fried" chicken post in the cooks section of my website..Thanks to WooDoggies for sharing it....Keep the awesome videos comin..
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
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    The best skin I ever had on any bird, ever, was a duck I cooked on the Egg.

    Basically cooked it low and slow, sort of following a Fishlessman method. Did nothing special with the skin in preparation. Then when it took too long cooking and it was clear that it wouldn't be ready in time for supper, I cranked it up to at least 400 to finish.

    The skin was crispy and delicate and delicious!

    too bad I'm the only one in this house who likes duck.

    With chicken I have tried running my hand under the skin before cooking, I've tried cornstarch and I've tried drying out the chickens in the fridge before cooking and have had no real luck with any of them.

    finishing at a higher temp seems to be the only method that gets me toward the crisp goal.
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  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
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    DSC08884a.jpg

    DSC08880a.jpg

    A high temp finish is used by many to crisp up the skin.

    Julia wrote about scraping the fat off duck skin to allow it to crisp up. I have an article on my site about scraping the skin, or actually acrapiong the fat off the skin of chicken thighs. The ones in the photo's above were scraped. It takes a little time to get the hang of it, but you can dial it in with whatever amount of crispiness you want.

    Bitethruchickenskin02.jpg
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
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    I saw Chris Lilly doing that with breasts on BBQ Pit Masters last night. Do you reattach the skin after scraping, say with a toothpick or two?
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  • thirdeye
    thirdeye Posts: 7,428
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    DSC08869a.jpg

    You can use toothpicks, but sometimes it attaches pretty well and won't need them. I do let them sit an hour or two in the fridge which also helps it stick. When I use toothpicks, I prefer the round cocktail ones, the point is only on one end and is really sharp.

    DSC06293JPGa.jpg

    DSC09787a.jpg
    Happy Trails
    ~thirdeye~

    Barbecue is not rocket surgery
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  • Brokersmoker
    Brokersmoker Posts: 646
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    Wess, looks simple and good, will try this afternoon on some wings with a trial sauce. Will post results :woohoo:
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  • Uncle Phil
    Uncle Phil Posts: 669
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    Thanks all:

    I think these are some pretty good examples. I have forwarded this link to Doctor Tom for his information. It took him a while to get hooked on the Egg, but now he loves it and is really turning out some fine eats. We took Tom and his Dad to the Florida Eggfest in Ocala last March and I think that was the turning point for him. His dad is looking forward to this year's event.

    Uncle Phil
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  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
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    Keep us posted..I can't imagine it getting any simpler than that....Enjoy..
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  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
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    Here's a post from Woo Doggies back in 2002 and an update. The second link is less time but ya need to read both. The first one was a 3 deal but the second.

    Regards,
    Bordello

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/archives//2002/messages/41127.htm

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=758398&catid=1
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