Start chicken skin-side down in a cold stainless steel pan over low heat to crisp the skin
Put oiled chicken skin-side down in a cold stainless steel pan and cook on low heat to develop crispy skin.
Add oil to a stainless steel pan, place the chicken skin-side down while the pan is still cold, then use low heat. The chicken may stick at first; that initial sticking is expected in this method.
The short version
- Cold-pan start
- Low heat
- Initial sticking is expected
What you need
- stainless steel pan/
- spatulaoptionalUsed for flipping later
How to do it
- 1
- 2
Place the chicken thigh in the pan skin-side down before heating.
This method intentionally starts from cold rather than preheating.
Watch this step - 3
Cook on low heat; expect the skin to stick initially.
The sticking is described as desirable at this stage.
Watch this step
Why it works
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Put it to use
Learn next
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If baking instead of air frying, finish with a short higher-temperature step to crisp them up.
Shake air-fryer fries partway through to cook and crisp evenly
Give the basket a shake during cooking so fries brown more evenly.
Air-fry potatoes in two stages (lower temp then higher) for crispier results
Cook potato cubes at 180°C first, then finish at 200°C to boost crispness at the end.
Know when chicken skin will release by shaking the pan
Gently shake the pan; when the chicken is ready, it should release itself from the stainless steel surface.