Alton Brown's Easy Extra Step For The Crispiest Roast Chicken Skin

Some would argue that the best bit of a roast chicken is the crispy skin. Golden, crunchy, and almost buttery with a rich savory flavor, this ambrosial feature is easily the pièce de résistance of a well-roasted chook. To make that skin as crispy as possible, follow Alton Brown's lead and steam your chicken first. Then, rest smaller cuts like chicken wings in the fridge prior to roasting so the outer surface can tighten up. While it might not sound important, this easy extra step has a real impact on the final texture of the chicken, helping it to stay succulent in the center but audibly crisp on the outside.

Brown's tip for crispier wings starts with using steam first. He places the wings in a steamer basket and allows them to steam for 10 minutes to let some of the fat in the chicken skin render out. Then, he pats the chicken dry with paper towels to remove the excess moisture on the surface before spreading each piece out on a wire rack. The entire rack is refrigerated on top of a paper towel-lined baking sheet for an hour to allow the skin on the chicken to tighten up so it can roast beautifully and become crisp and golden in the oven.

If you cook your chicken wings straight from the steamer, you'll inhibit their ability to quickly develop that crunchy exterior you're looking for, so don't be tempted to cut corners. This is because the slack chicken skin can trap moisture and steam inside, which hampers it from caramelizing and turning crisp at speed. While the skin will eventually brown, it takes much longer if the surface is clammy to begin with. In turn, this extra time can cause the center of the chicken to become dry. However, if the skin is moisture-free and clinging closely to the entire chicken wing or drumstick, it will protect the flesh and help the chicken to cook more evenly, resulting in a juicier bite.

Alton Brown also encourages his chicken to crisp up by baking it on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. This technique guarantees that the heat swirling around the oven hits the bottom of the chicken as well as the top. The result? Chicken wings that have heaps of toasty flavor and boast a 360-degree crispiness. If you're roasting an entire bird and don't want to steam it first, Ina Garten's tip for making roast chicken is to dry brine and refrigerate it prior to baking. Placing the chook in the fridge allows the skin to tighten up and dry out in the same way as Brown's chicken wings.