Salt-Grilled Chicken Thigh (Crispy Skin)

Name: Salt-Grilled Chicken Thigh (Crispy Skin)
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: Boneless chicken thigh 1 (about 300 g); Lemon 1/8; Salt 1/2 tsp; Pepper A pinch; Vegetable oil 1 tsp

💪 If you exercise

Serves 2 · About 30 min (10 min of this is just letting it sit after salting)
Chicken thigh seasoned with just salt and pepper, cooked slowly skin side down. The fat from the skin makes the skin crispy.

① Prep→② Salt and let sit→③ Cook skin-side first→④ Flip and cook→⑤ Cut and serve

What to buy

Meat

Boneless chicken thigh1 (about 300 g)

Vegetables & fruit

LemonSqueeze over the chicken. Optional1/8

Check what you already have

Salt1/2 tspPepperA pinchVegetable oil1 tsp

Tap an item to check it off (checks clear when you close the page).

How to make it

Prepare the chicken

About 5 min

Pat the chicken with paper towels to dry it
On the cutting board, cut off the yellowish lumps of fat on the edges with a knife
With the skin side up, poke about 10 holes all over the skin with a fork (so the skin shrinks less when cooked)
Flip it over, make 2–3 shallow cuts in the thick parts with a knife, and make it an even thickness

How to tell it's doneThe meat is about the same thickness all over (about 2 cm).

Salt and let sit

Let sit 10 min

Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper evenly on both sides
Leave it as is for 10 minutes
Wipe off the liquid that comes out with paper towels (this helps the skin get crispy)
Wash your hands, knife and cutting board with dish soap after touching raw chicken (you'll cut the cooked meat in step 5)

How to tell it's doneDrops of water came out on the surface, and you wiped them off.

Cook skin side down

Medium heatAbout 8–10 min

Put 1 tsp vegetable oil in a frying pan, and before turning on the heat, lay the chicken skin side down
Put on medium heat. Press down from above with a spatula so all the skin touches the pan
Cook like this for 8–10 minutes. Soak up the fat that comes out with paper towels (hold the paper with cooking chopsticks)

How to tell it's doneLift the edge of the meat a little to look: the skin is golden brown. From the side, the meat is white about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom.

Be carefulThe fat splatters. Keep your face away from the pan. Lower the heat when soaking up the fat.

Flip and cook

Medium-low heatAbout 4–5 min

Flip it with a spatula so the meat side is down
Cook on medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes

How to tell it's doneCut into the thickest part with a knife: it's white inside, not pink. The juice that comes out is clear (if red juice comes out, cook 1–2 minutes more).

Cut and serve

3 min

When it's cooked, move it to a rack or plate and let it rest for 2–3 minutes (the juices settle, so they don't run out as much when you cut it)
Put it on the cutting board skin side up and cut into 1.5 cm wide slices
Arrange on a plate. Serve with 1/8 lemon and squeeze it over when eating

ReadyThe cut surface is white, and the skin is golden and crispy.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Chicken thigh

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Heat levels (high, medium, low)Hitotsumami & shoushou (a pinch)

If it didn't work out

The skin isn't crispyYou didn't wipe off enough water in step 2, or the cooking time was too short. Keep it skin side down and cook 2–3 minutes more.

The skin burnedThe heat was too high. Lower it to medium-low and take more time.

Pink insideIt isn't cooked through. Put the lid on and cook on low heat 2 more minutes at a time.

Too salty or too blandYou didn't measure the salt. Next time measure 1/2 tsp and sprinkle it.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me