Classic ingredient in traditional Jewish cooking – schmaltz, rendered chicken fat and crispy gribenes cracklings.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken skin and fat, cut into narrow 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 medium onion, sliced into thin 1/4 inch pieces

Instructions

Skillet Method

  • Rinse the chicken skin and fat, pat dry, then chop it into small 1/2 inch pieces.

  • Toss the chicken skin pieces with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Place the skin and fat into a skillet (cast iron or nonstick!) and turn heat to medium low. Cover the skillet and let it cook on medium low for about 15 minutes. Liquid fat will start to pool at the bottom of the skillet.

  • Uncover the skillet and raise heat to medium. At this point you can add onion or you can render the fat without onion for a cleaner, purer fat with no onion essence. Most Jewish cooks prefer to render the fat with onion.
  • Let the skin and fat cook for another 15-20 minutes, breaking the pieces apart with a spatula and stirring frequently, until the skin starts to brown and curl at the edges.

  • Remove pan from heat. Pour the schmaltz from the skillet into a container, using a mesh strainer to catch any small pieces of skin.
  • If you cooked the skin and onion together, return to medium heat and continue cooking in the skillet until the skin is deeply golden, curled and crispy, and the onions are dark brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve.
  • If you did not cook the onions with the skin, you can cook them after the schmaltz is collected. Return the cooked chicken skin and fat to the skillet.
  • Turn heat to medium and sauté the mixture for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • When pieces are dark brown and crispy, remove the gribenes from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel. They become crispier as they cool.

Baking Sheet Method

  • Rinse the pound of chicken skin and fat, pat dry, then chop it into small 1/2 inch pieces.
  • Cut your onions into slices, then cut slices into pieces around 1/4 inch long.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the chicken skin and fat with 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, then spread it out into a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.

  • Place baking sheet in the oven and let it roast for 20 minutes, until the skin starts to turn golden and curl at the edges. Fat will have started collecting on the sheet.

  • Add onions to the hot baking sheet, spreading them out evenly throughout the chicken skin.
  • Return to oven and continue roasting for another 40-50 minutes until the skin is golden brown and crispy and the onions are dark brown. When stirring, make sure to move the pieces on the outside towards the center, and move the center pieces out towards the middle, so the pieces evenly brown.

  • When the pieces become crispy, remove from the oven and let the tray cool down. Strain the fat from the tray through a mesh strainer into a collection container.
  • The gribenes are delicious to snack on or used as a topping. The schmaltz should be saved and used in a variety of savory dishes. In will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Notes

You will also need: Nonstick skillet or baking sheet, mesh strainer, paper towels.

Makes 3/4 cup schmaltz (liquid rendered chicken fat) and about 1 1/2 cups of crispy gribenes. Serving size is 1/2 tbsp schmaltz and roughly 1 1/4 tbsp gribenes.

Note: 1 pound of chicken skin and fat can be obtained from about 15 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Or, save and freeze chicken skin instead of discarding it in various recipes, then make schmaltz when you have collected enough. While the 1 pound weight is a guideline for this recipe, you can easily adjust the ratio above for less or more chicken skin as needed.