The Best Way To Get Perfect Texture In Skin-On Chicken, According To Bobby Flay

The best part of grilled chicken is undoubtedly the crispy, golden skin. Replete with umami flavor and a crackly, crunchy texture, it's this moreish skin that lends a simple cut of chicken such a tempting quality. But if your last batch of grilled chicken failed to deliver on producing that almost-glassy crunch, you may want to take notes from chef Bobby Flay. According to the restaurateur, the best way to grill skin-on chicken — so it develops an almost snappable crust — is to cook it on low heat rather than a fiercely high temperature.

While this technique may sound counterintuitive, Flay explained his reasoning on a clip from "The Tonight Show." After asking what temperature is the best to achieve the crispiest skin, host Jimmy Fallon responds with "high heat, crank it." Flay replies, "Wrong! It's low heat." Then he goes on to explain that using low heat on the grill allows the skin "to go very, very, very, very, very crispy, and it kind of renders," which he says "is something that people don't really get."   

Rendering is the term used to describe a cooking process where fat is extracted from meat over a low heat. When used on chicken, this low and slow technique gives the natural fat on the surface more time to leech out, leaving crispier skin behind. 

On another Instagram clip where Bobby Flay is cooking crispy skin chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet, he outlines his technique in the caption: "a lot of people think to make the chicken crispy you have to start with red hot heat in the pan.. it's the opposite .. go slow, skin side down.. lots of salt and pepper ..Flip 'em over . Toss in some fresh rosemary or sage or thyme , finish in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 especially if they are bone-in."

Grilling chicken on a super-high heat simply doesn't give the fat inside the skin enough opportunity to escape. It can also cause the skin to develop a golden color prematurely (and perhaps even burn and become bitter) well before the flesh has had the time to cook all the way through. Low heat is also the better option for grilling dark meat, such as chicken thighs and drumsticks, because it elicits a tender, succulent texture courtesy of the extra fat in the flesh. 

Another simple step for achieving shatteringly crisp chicken skin is to remove as much moisture as possible from the bird prior to grilling. The first move is to pat the skin dry with a paper towel followed by a quick spell in the refrigerator before cooking as normal.