Moist roast chicken with a good crispy skin is one of the most satisfying bites in the carnivore universe. But it's also one that is hard to achieve as the things that add moisture to the meat can lead to rubbery skin.
Whether you're cooking that chicken on the grill or in the oven or smoker, the route to crispy skin starts hours before that bird hits the heat. Preparation is key, and moisture is the enemy.
The chicken in a meat market or grocery store likely has been injected with brine to keep the meat juicy. That brine can account for as much as 25 percent of the total weight.
And while moist meat is great, moist chicken skin is not. So, hours before you cook the chicken, or the night before, you want to get the skin as dry as possible.
The starch, salt and cold air of the fridge all will work to draw moisture out of the skin.
"That starch will harden up the skins ahead of the cooking process and make it easier to handle," said Clarence Joseph, a San Antonio champion barbecue competition cook. "It makes a huge difference."
When you pull the chicken out of the fridge to cook, leave the corn starch and seasonings in place.
From left: grilled, smoked over oak wood and oven roasted chicken quarters with crispy skin are seen at Chuck's Food Shack.
Josie Norris /Staff photographer
San Antonio Express-News Food Writer Chuck Blount pulls grilled chicken quarters with crispy skin off the grill at Chuck's Food Shack.
Josie Norris /Staff photographerThe next step is a matter of some debate. I recommend adding a layer of fat — butter or olive or vegetable oil — to the skin. No, it won't help the skin get crispy; the heat will do that. But it will add a great flavor and will help the skin brown to that gorgeous George Hamilton bronze.
I like using butter because I love that flavor. "I'm a butter guy, too," said Jeff White, executive chef at The Palm in San Antonio. "I love the added benefit of the coloring."
So melt some butter and paint it on thick to every part of the bird. As the late, great Anthony Bourdain told Oprah Winfrey: "Butter is pretty much the first and the last thing that goes into any pan. That's why restaurant food tastes better."
Now you're ready to cook, and below are the best ways to get that meat moist and the skin crispy in the oven and smoker and on the grill.
Grilled chicken quarters with crispy skin as seen at Chuck's Food Shack.
Josie Norris /Staff photographerI cooked chicken leg quarters because dark meat is my favorite — so much more flavor — and it's a great value at about $1 per pound. Your cooking time will be a little less if you're cooking white meat. If you're cooking a whole chicken, cut it into leg and breast quarters before cooking (anyone at the meat counter can do this for you) and wrap the wing tips in foil, uncovering them for the final 10 minutes of cooking if you're using the oven or grill.
The chicken is done when its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Oven-roasted chicken quarters with crispy skin
Josie Norris /Staff photographerOven
Place the chicken in a roasting pan on an elevated rack skin-side up. The rack will allow the heat and air to evenly flow over all the meat. Roast it for about an hour at 450 degrees, basting with more butter about every 20 minutes.
Grilled chicken quarters with crispy skin as seen at Chuck's Food Shack in San Antonio
Josie Norris /Staff photographerGrill
The high heat of the grill will give you the crispiest skin. Set up your grill for indirect cooking with all the coals on one side. With a gas grill, light the burners on one half of the grill.
Get it to about 500 degrees and set the chicken on the cool side. Cook it with the lid closed for about 45 minutes, basting it and flipping it every 10 to 15 minutes.
Chicken quarters smoked over oak wood are seen at Chuck's Food Shack
Josie Norris /Staff photographerSmoker
You cannot beat the flavor of smoked chicken, but the low temperature means you will never get crispy skin from the smoker alone. Set your smoker to about 300 degrees and cook the chicken for about an hour and a half, pulling it out when it's just underdone at about 155 degrees.
Finish the chicken over direct heat on a grill for about 5 minutes, flipping once, or under the oven broiler for three to five minutes, flipping once.
cblount@express-news.net | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
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