Sauce – Can you caramelize onions without using fat

I've been reviewing old family recipes, and I've seen pickled onions called for in some soup, stew, and casserole recipes as an accent; this may or may not be because my foremothers grew and canned loads of onions. It's worth an experiment or two, I think!

The secret to really crispy skin has everything to do with rendering the fat that lies directly under it. Once that fat has removed itself from the skin, a little high heat will crisp it up perfectly. If I am creating a roast chicken, I normally remove it from the packaging and allow it to sit uncovered in the fridge for at least overnight, longer if I have the time. Then I start the chicken low to render the fat, you have to cook it at a minimum of 178F (80C) to remove the most fat. Once the fat renders out, which is going to vary depending on the temp you start the chicken at, you crank the temp to the 450 to 500F range and baste regularly.

To maximize the skin that will crisp you want to make sure that your chicken isn't sitting inside the fat while it cooks. I normally use a inset rack to keep the chicken above the fat but you don't have to. The other component to crispy skin is cooking the chicken uncovered.