Ingredients

Chicken Skins

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 whole fryer chicken’s worth of skin
• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• ½ cup finely ground panko bread crumbs
• 1½ Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. celery salt
• Kosher salt

Deviled Eggs

• 6 hardboiled eggs
• 2 Tbsp. Duke's Mayonnaise
• 1 heaping tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Kosher salt
• Fresh dill sprigs to garnish
• Fresh cracked pepper to garnish
• Mild hot sauce, to garnish

Directions

1. To source the chicken skin, first see if you can purchase a half-pound or so from your local butcher shop. Otherwise, you can purchase a whole fryer chicken from the supermarket and remove the skin with a chef’s knife or scissors. Disregard those areas that are especially difficult to remove the skin, as you will get plenty from the breast, back, and thighs for this recipe.

2. Prepare the chicken skin. This can be done ahead of time. The fried chicken skins should last at least a few hours before losing any of their crispiness. On a cutting board, lay out your chicken skin fat side up (this will be the side that doesn’t have the bumpy texture from where the feathers were plucked). Using a spoon, scrape off all the fat. Removing the fat is the key to a crispy end product.

3. Next, place skins in a medium pot and add the onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Cover with the pot’s contents with water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

4. Once the water comes to a boil, cut the heat and then let the skins sit in the pot for 15 minutes. Next, drain the skins and allow them to cool by spreading them flat on a resting rack or a piece of parchment paper.

5. Once the skins are cool, they are ready to be fried. Mix the flour, cornmeal, panko, and seasonings in a medium mixing bowl. Toss the cooked chicken skins in this dredge until fully coated. Fry at 350°F, stirring occasionally so the skins don’t stick together until they reach a golden brown, about 4 minutes. One thing to keep in mind in this step is that the skins have a tendency to pop and crackle when they enter the hot oil. It’s a good idea to keep your distance from them the first minute they are frying or until the bubbling slows. When they look delicious, remove the skins from the oil and lay them out on a paper towel.

6. Season immediately with salt, and reserve until ready to serve.

7. Peel the hardboiled eggs, and cut each one in half lengthwise.

8. Remove the yolks from the whites. Rinse the whites in cold water to remove any excess yolk left behind. Press the yolks through a fine mesh strainer into a mixing bowl to do away with any clumping.

9. Next, add to the mixing bowl the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Season the mixture with kosher salt to taste. Try not to overwork the egg yolk mixture. The resulting product should be slightly fluffy and not too loose.

10. When ready to serve, use a piping bag or the cut corner of a plastic bag to pipe the egg filling into the whites. Depending on how full you like your deviled eggs, you will end up with 8-12 portions.

11. To serve, arrange your eggs on a serving platter, fill the whites with egg yolk mixture, and garnish with the fried chicken skins, a drizzle of hot sauce, fresh cracked pepper, and some torn sprigs of fresh dill.