How To Render Chicken Fat (Schmaltz)

In this post I show you how to render chicken fat easily and with minimal equipment. The end product will be a delicious, mild tasting cooking fat which can be used in many ways in your kitchen.

Why you should cook with chicken fat?

• it has a beautiful light golden color and a lovely mild flavor, similar to duck fat
• it is very nutritious, especially if it comes from pasture raised chickens
• rendering chicken fat is a thrifty thing to do – you are using bits of skin and fat that otherwise would have been thrown away
• if you are a fan of nose to tail style of eating, making schmaltz is the right thing to do!
• it is quite versatile (see below)

What can I use rendered chicken fat for?

• roasting potatoes and other vegetables
• sauteing vegetables or mushrooms
• greasing bread pans, pie dishes and other baking dishes
• making scrambled eggs and fried eggs
• added to meat marinades in place of oil
• spread on a slice of bread in place of butter (I would use warm schmaltz for this, it tastes better this way in my opinion)

Before you render chicken fat:

• make sure to use a heavy bottomed, wide pan for even heat distribution and to prevent the bottom from sticking or burning (I use my trusty jam pan for this)
• melt it on LOW heat or you will end up with pieces of skin sticking to the bottom. This will require some patience – at the start I turn the stove on low and come back to check on it in about 20 minutes. By that time there is already some sizzling happening and so I give it the first stir.
• stir it regularly. Set timers so you don’t forget. Stirring prevents burning and exposes new bits of fat to the heat which makes it render faster.
• DO NOT add water to the rendering fat. Some sites recommend it but it is completely unnecessary and will introduce moisture to your fat (which equals risk of spoilage).
• make sure your chicken skins are pperfectly dry before you cut them up (dry with kitchen towels if necessary)

How to render chicken fat

Make sure your chicken skins are dry.

With a sharp knife, cut all the skins and pieces of fat into small, even-ish pieces.

Place in a heavy bottomed saucepan and turn the heat on low. Every 20 minutes or so give it a good stir. This process may take up to several hours. It took me about 2 hours to render the amount of fat I had.

It is ready to strain when there are only small, crispy pieces of skin floating in a pool of golden fat.

Now is the time to pour it through a sieve lined with a cheesecloth or a clean tea towel.

Let the rendered fat to cool fully in the jar before placing the lid on.

It will keep in the fridge for many months.

How should I store chicken fat?

I would personally store it in a jar with a tight fitting lid in the fridge. Stored this way it will last for months without spoiling – make sure the lid is tight so no moisture gets inside. It has a higher amount of polyunsaturated fats than tallow and will become semi liquid at room temperature. When you store it in the fridge it remains solid but still nice and scoop-able.

Can I use chicken fat spooned off from the top of chicken stock in the same way as rendered chicken fat?

Yes. However, this fat will have some impurities and some water content, unlike the fat you render on the stove, so it should be used within a few days. Or you could put it into ice cube trays or silicone molds and freeze it for future use. Because it contains some liquid from the stock, it will likely sizzle a bit when you heat it up.

How does chicken fat taste like?

It is quite mild in flavor, similar to duck fat. It is definitely not neutral like vegetable oil, it may impart a light chicken-y flavor to your dishes, but it is lighter in taste than tallow.

What is its smoke point?

The smoke point of chicken fat is about 190C/375F, which is higher than butter but lower than tallow.

Can I use chicken fat for frying?

No, it is not really suitable for pan frying or deep frying as its smoke point is not high enough. I would use tallow for these kinds of high temperature cooking. It is however perfectly fine for sauteing.

How long does it take for it to render?

This depends on the amount of fat you have, how finely you have diced it as well as the size of your pan and the strength of the heat you place it on (generally gas stoves cook faster than electric stoves). It could be as little as 15 minutes for very small amounts of fat to several hours for large amounts.

What should I do with the crispy bits of skin that I have left after straining the fat?

These crispy pieces or cracklings can be lightly salted and sprinkled (when still warm) on top of roast potatoes (or other roast veggies) or used as a garnish on warm salads (they will wilt your salad leaves if you use them on a cold type of salad though). Alternatively, they can be a great treat for your dog or cat.

Where do I get chicken fat from?

Any chicken skin you have removed from your chicken meat to get skinless chicken can be used to render schmaltz. There is usually quite a bit of fat on the bottom part of the chicken, especially the thigh area ad this can be used as well. If you are friends with your local butcher, he may give you chicken skins for free.