Microwaves Make Rendering Chicken Fat Easy. Here's How

In this era of continuously increasing grocery prices, it's more important than ever to squeeze every ounce of flavor and nutrition from our food. One particularly valuable skill is knowing how to break down and use every part of a whole chicken. Buying chickens whole is much cheaper than purchasing individual parts and offers a wealth of hidden resources, from the bones (for making homemade bone broth) to all the delicious, versatile fat hidden in the skin.

Though rendering chicken fat (a.k.a. schmaltz) can be messy and time-consuming, you can make the task significantly easier by using your microwave. Not only is this method more straightforward, but studies have shown that microwaves render chicken fat very efficiently, meaning you may actually get more fat this way than using your stove. All you need is a microwave-safe glass container, finely chopped raw chicken skin, and about 25 minutes. You'll also need to embrace your microwave's power level button, which just might change the way you use your microwave forever.

Once rendered, schmaltz becomes a translucent golden liquid. You can use it like butter, olive oil, or any other cooking fat — just with tons more umami flavor. It's a fantastic way to upgrade your fried chicken, add velvety richness to soups (fry your aromatics in it!), or take your confit garlic to the next level. It can even add a little savory twist to Rice Krispie treats or other traditionally sweet dishes. It won't overwhelm your dessert, just enhance it similar to the way bacon and maple syrup complement each other.

Adjusting the power level of your microwave may be the most important part of using it to render schmaltz. Rendering is a slow process usually done over low heat, as the idea is to melt the fat inside chicken skin to extract it. Cooking it on high power will just fry the skin — while chicken skin chips are a tasty snack, that's the opposite of what you want when rendering. Conversely, using a power level that's too low will prolong the process, negating one of the advantages of rendering in the microwave to begin with. 

Lowering your microwave's power level to about 30% in a standard 1000-watt microwave ensures gentle heating that will help the skin release its oily goodness. Instructions for adjusting the power level are usually included in a microwave's user manual (which you can often find online as well). Some will refer to the power levels as percentages, while others may reference them as numbers. The numbers usually correlate directly to percentages — for instance, power level 3 would be 30%. Another key to successfully rendering schmaltz in your microwave is to slice it into small, evenly sized pieces. Large pieces won't heat evenly, meaning some of your skin will burn while other areas remain raw. Smaller, uniform pieces will heat evenly and at the same rate, and they will also render a little faster.