How to make chicken schmaltz and gribenes

What is chicken schmaltz

Chicken schmaltz is more than a fun word to say. It’s a delectable cooking fat made from rendered poultry fat that’s used in baking, stews, soups and anywhere else you would add cooking oil or lard.

The concentrated umami flavor is like liquid gold.

Today, we can all run to the grocery store and pull a bottle of cooking oil or olive oil off the shelf. But civilization was much different not that long ago. Instead, if home cooks wanted to cook with fat, they made rendered-down drippings from whatever animal fat they had on hand.

Rendered pork fat is called lard. Rendered beef fat is called tallow. And rendered poultry fat is referred to as schmaltz.

Schmaltz is said to have originated in Jewish communities in Europe and is derived from the German word schmelzen, which means to melt. To learn more about the history of this Jewish cooking staple and an authentic Jewish recipe, I recommend reading Cooking Jewish Culture.

My recipe for chicken schmaltz is slightly different than most traditional Jewish recipes, because I don’t cook the fat with onions. This recipe is for pure liquid chicken fat.

One of the awesome byproducts of making schmaltz is gribenes. These are the crispy bits of chicken fat that remain after you strain off the liquid. I prefer to leave the chicken skins a little larger, so they eat like chips. You can also dice the skins so the bites are smaller.

If you like pork chicharrones, you’re going to love these!

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Ingredients

In order to make chicken schmaltz and gribenes, you need a couple cups of chicken skins or chicken fat.

I have a lot of excess chicken fat on hand when I cook BBQ competitions, because I scrape the fat from my chicken skins when I prepare competition chicken thighs.

I realize not everyone does BBQ competitions. The good news is, you can skip the scraping and just peel the chicken skins off the thighs. Then, give those a rough chop.

You can use skins from any part of the chicken, but I find they’re easier to peel off of thighs, and I like boneless, skinless thighs for making grilled chicken lumpia.

Added bonus: If you remove the skins and bones from chicken thighs yourself, you’ll pay less per pound than butchered boneless, skinless thighs.

Substitutions: You don't just have to stick to chicken. Schmaltz can also be made with turkey or goose fat. 

See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.

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1. STEP ONE: Place the chicken skin and chicken fat in a medium sauce pan on the stove over low heat. Let the fat simmer for 2 hours. Throughout the process, the fat will render from the skins and the skins will become fried and crispy. It’s ready once the liquid almost fully submerges the skins and they’re extra crispy.

2. STEP TWO: Pour the rendered fat through a strainer into a pitcher or bowl to collect the gribenes (the crispy chicken bits) and to strain the schmaltz.

3. STEP THREE: Pour the strained schmaltz into mason jars to store.

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How to serve gribenes

One of the best treats you get when you make chicken schmaltz is the gribenes. The crispy bits of fried chicken fat taste like the outer coating of extra crispy fried chicken from KFC.

While they’re still a little warm, sprinkle them with a pinch of kosher salt. Then enjoy. If you’re on a keto diet, they really cure that crunchy umami craving. But remember, they are all fat, so enjoy in moderation.

How to use schmaltz

Now that you have a jar of schmaltz, you get to add the most amazing flavor to dishes. Use it just like you would oil or butter.

If you store the schmaltz in the refrigerator, it will harden, so place it on the counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you want to use it. Then, scoop a little bit out for your recipe.

Spoon a little into a pan for fried eggs. Use it instead of olive oil to sauté veggies. Add a dollop to sauces or soups to add richness. You can even spread it on toast and then layer on some sliced avocado and a pinch of salt.

If you like to bake, mix schmaltz into your baked recipes that call for vegetable shortening. You can use it in Homemade Biscuits or even Pie Crust, especially if that crust is for pot pie. It’s traditionally used to make matzo balls and chicken soup, but can also be incorporated into dumplings for an amazing pot of chicken and dumplings.

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Storage

If you have leftover gribenes, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, but they probably won’t last that long.

Leftover schmaltz can be kept in an airtight container, like a jar. I store it in the refrigerator and try to use it within 2-3 months. You can also freeze it indefinitely.

You’ll know if it’s gone bad when you open it. If it has a rancid, bitter aroma, you’ve waited too long to use it and should throw it away.

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