Bacon got REALLY expensive the year before I left the chef life for the wide world of food sales. I ended up running this as a special on the bars but it’s become a staple for me whenever I get the craving.
Sourdough, dukes mayo, good tomato, lettuce, battered and fried chicken skins. You get that crunch and savory you want from a BLT at a WAY better price.
Buy a whole chicken, when you’re breaking it down remove and save the skins. Little oil in a pan, add your raw skins and cook until crispy. Then you also have a bunch of raw chicken and a carcass to use for whatever you want and stock.
Also, fun tip, the fat that comes off the chicken skins is schmaltz, and is really delicious. I like to put a bit into my ramen.
Distributors package the skins separately. It’s basically boxing up all the skins from the boneless skinless chicken breast you buy in the store. I got it for something ridiculous like $0.49/# and use it so it doesn’t go to waste.
NOW if you have a local butcher chances are they’re still getting some stuff from the big boys, (US Foods/Sysco/Performance) and all of them will have cases on hand. Just need to convince them to get it in and move it. Odd’s are any markup is only going to be about 10%, you’ll still get a good price.
End of summer’s a good time to push since you’ll have football season kicking off, it’s good for them to sell as a game night snack.
Buy bone in, skin on chicken thighs. Remove the skin, set aside. Remove the bones, set aside. Portion your new boneless, skinless chicken thighs and throw them in the freezer (I recommend a vacuum sealer). Throw the bones in a reusable silicon freezer bag. Bread and fry your chicken skins.
Use the chicken thighs for whatever you might want boneless, skinless, chicken for. It's got uses beyond counting.
For the bones, you're going to make stock. I keep a silicon bag of vegetable scraps in my freezer. Crack the bones so the marrow can get out, throw them in a boiling pot with all manner of vegetable scraps (onion tops/roots, carrot ends and skins, celery tops and roots, the), some herbs, and some salt. Strain this through a fine mesh to prevent any accidental broken chicken bones, and you've got a great stock.
This sounds really good to me - probably because I’m a huge fan of fried chicken skin. A lot of places have picked up on it here, and some burger joints will sell them as a side like fries.
Wow. I want that so bad. And the fact you use Dukes tells me you are a chef of refined taste. I need to stop by my butcher and see if he has chicken skins, I never stopped to consider what they do with those to sell the abomination of skinless, boneless breasts.
Dukes & Heinz, we might have been putting out $40 plates at night, but this is the South baby. They should definitely have it, if not they’ll have access to it. They’re pretty versatile. I jumped to the sales side of the industry and I’m constantly suggesting this stuff as a way to push your cost down if you need to.
Bar bites with some chicken skins, bibimbap sauce with benne seed instead of the sesame (cos it’s classier right?) and pimento cheese… you’re good to go.
I think it could use a little extra protein. A lentil or bean patty made with chicken stock might work if it needs to be low cost. Or a fried egg if you're rich?
I would 100% agree with you if it wasn’t a lunch/light bite thing. Fried egg is the way to go, I’d get side-eyed straight to hell if I tried anything “Veggie” patty wise.
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