Schmaltz: How to Render Chicken Fat

I recently deboned 16 lovely chicken thighs to make some homemade chicken nuggets.  I've always saved the bones to make chicken stock, but this time, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't need to throw away the chicken skins like I usually do (this was the first time I've had organic chicken to work with, and I never cared to save the fat from the conventional chicken).

So, what to do with chicken skins?  Render the fat from them, of course!

It was unbelievably easy:

Schmaltz: Rendered Chicken Fat:

Materials:
Medium sauce pan
1/2 c water
Chicken skins

Instructions:
1. Place chicken skins in pot with water.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until water is boiled off and chicken skins are crispy.
3. Strain fat into jar and refrigerate/freeze until needed.
4. Eat chicken cracklins (crispy skins) if you want, or toss them to the dog!
 
Here's what my chicken skins, which otherwise would've ended up in the trash, became:

The skins from 16 little thighs yielded about 6 oz. of organic chicken fat, plus chicken "cracklins," which are kind of like pork rinds, I guess.  I ate a few (they needed salt!) and gave the rest to the dog, who thought they were a gift from heaven.  I think (for humans, anyway), they may be one of those things you have to get used to...

Since the fats I use in my kitchen tend to be a little pricier than the average cheap, nasty tub o' canola, it was really exciting to get almost half a pound of organic, saturated fat for free!  

Posted at WFMW