Chicken Skin Tacos

This is another recipe from The New York Times.  They ran an article a few years ago about chicken skin gaining popularity as an ingredient, and this was one of the accompanying recipes.  I was so excited to try it, so here follows my paraphrase, with thoughts afterward.

Chicken Skin Tacos (Adapted from Nate Gutierrez)
1 pinch of each of the following: 
      kosher salt
      coarsely ground black pepper
      ground cumin
      granulated garlic
      onion powder
      oregano
2 skin-on chicken breasts
Corn or flour tortillas
Shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, romaine, cilantro, onion, and lime, if desired/as garnish

Heat oven to 375˚F.  Combine spices in a small bowl, and rub onto chicken.  Roast until skin is crisp and muscle is cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  Pull skin from chicken and slice into strips.  Shred the breast.  Further crisp the skin in a heavy-bottomed pan per medium-high heat (about 3 minutes).

Fill tortillas with shredded chicken, top with desired garnishes and chicken skin.


I was disappointed.  I wanted more chicken skin and less traditional chicken meat from this recipe.  When it's called a "chicken skin taco," I expect the chicken skin to be the main ingredient (that's how it works when I buy [normal] chicken, beef, or chorizo taco).  As it is, the chicken skin is a garnish, and I don't know that it's the kind of garnish I want for a taco-- I want the lime and cilantro to add some freshness, or the cheese and sour cream to add some richness.  I don't need a crispy garnish.  

And while on the topic of garnishes, I recommend sticking with the fresh and more traditional garnishes, the lime and cilantro, because this is a more traditional taco.  Notice the recipe doesn't make any kind of sauce.  (You'll see cheese in my photo, though, because I love cheese.)