Chicken sans skin

[jallen013]

Go I've got the urge to run a couple of chickens through the smoker this weekend. I've had really good success in the past with spatchcocking birds and brining overnight so I intend to take that same route this time... but... I think chicken skin is just gross (and I'm trying to drop a few pounds).

If I remove the skin as part of my prep, am I condemned to dry bird?

[Bludawg]

Yes.

[txags2011]

Just skin it and then lay bacon strips on top. Should stay moist... :heh:

[jbounds286]

couldnt u just cook it skin on then take the skin off after?

[gtr]

+1 on cooking skin on and then taking it off before eating.

Another way to go about it is cutting up chix for kebabs or skewers for grilling - that's skinless. Teriyaki/yakitori etc. is good, but probably wouldn't help with trying to lose weight due to the marinade/sauce.

[OL' Timer]

I do breast for chic sammies and I brush with an rosemary infused olive oil and smoke at 275 till 165 and they are very moist

[jallen013]

couldnt u just cook it skin on then take the skin off after?

When I've cooked birds with the skin on then removed it when eating it always felt most of my rub and all of my sauce was ending up n the garbage with the skin.

[Tom Sellecks Mustache]

I always grill skinless breast, never tried smoking them but I can imagine it's pretty easy to end up with some bird. I find doing a reverse sear on them works really well though, 2cents

[jbounds286]

When I've cooked birds with the skin on then removed it when eating it always felt most of my rub and all of my sauce was ending up n the garbage with the skin.

common sense would say to put the rub underneath it???

[jallen013]

common sense would say to put the rub underneath it???
... and i do, but i'm still loosing a ton of flavor to the garbage bin.

[jbounds286]

... and i do, but i'm still loosing a ton of flavor to the garbage bin.

yea...skin is delicious!

[Jason TQ]

Give skin off a whirl. My favorite chicken is boneless skinless thighs rubbed liberally with whatever and smoked until done. A whole chicken would work well and still be moist with all those bones in there.

[pjtexas1]

I will have to try this with breasts on the next cook. My wife doesn't like the skin either.

[Bludawg]

If ya wasn't supposed to eat it with out the skin God his almighty self would have made chickens with out it.

[Nuco59]

Why not ditch the whole bird... get you a bag of boneless, skinless thighs and roll with them? Sounds like you are dead set pulling off the thing that will help keep your bird moist. You might as well start with a piece that is not as prone to drying out in the first place.

"Thighs- it's what's for dinner"

[revkab]

It might also be that you hate the skin because it comes out nasty and leathery. Why not try grilling the chicken first to render the fat and crisp the skin, THEN finish it in the smoker?

Although I gotta admit - I really prefer my chicken grilled over direct heat (with some nice wood chunks on the coals to give me the smoke). The key for me is to keep the birds turning often enough that they don't burn, but keeping a fair amount of heat during the cook. I like the texture of the meat better, and think I still get a lot of smoky flavor. AND the skin is crispy and "bite-able" plus any flavor in the rub is still there.

I might note here, that most chefs talk about pushing the rub or any other flavorings under the skin, so the flavor stays on the bird, even without the skin.

[bdare]

Key to making delicious boneless / skinless chicken breasts is to flatten them with a mallet first. This reduces the cooking time and helps them cook more evenly so you can retain the moisture. After flattening them you could brine them if you like. Then just cook them hot and fast.

[dadsr4]

When spatchcocking a bird, I cut the skin down the breastbone, peel it back and rub the meat directly. I then pin the skin back with a few toothpicks. The meat still gets basted with the fat from the skin, and the spices season the meat directly. You are going to cut the skin afterwards anyway when you serve, or dispose of it, if you wish.