The Deep-Fried Crispy Snack Johnny Cash Couldn't Resist

Country music star Johnny Cash stayed true to his roots in many ways, and his love for southern cooking proves no different. In an "'Ask Me Anything" Reddit post by his son, John Carter Cash, this question was posed: "Can you tell us of a quirk your father had?" He replied, "My father liked crunchy peanut butter. Fried catfish. And deep-fried chicken skin." 

Though fried chicken skins might seem like a niche food, they have actually been around for hundreds of years. Before we all started making meals with store-bought rotisserie chickens, cooks used every part of the bird, and the fatty skin was prized for its ability to add flavor and crispness. Rendering the poultry fat and crisping up the skin helped stretch ingredients in lean times and created a crunchy little snack from something that might otherwise be tossed. Johnny Cash was from rural Arkansas, where dishes like fried chicken skin weren't food trends; they were prized scraps. Nothing went to waste on his family's working farm during the Great Depression. Cash carried that sense of place with him throughout his life, long after fame took him far from the Delta. 

As luck would have it, the scrappy snack is in the mainstream once again. Once the 2000s hit and cooking offal meat got "rediscovered" and gentrified by elites, it's no surprise that chicken skin soon followed. Chefs embraced nose-to-tail cooking, elevating those humble scraps into Instagram-worthy dishes. Chicken skin is everywhere now: as bar snacks, crispy garnishes, and sandwich add-ons.

Fried chicken skin isn't just for Johnny Cash, of course. The crispy nibble is beloved around the world and goes by many names and iterations. Black soul food has its pork version called cracklins, while the Ashkenazi Jewish food world cherishes their gribenes. In Japan, izakaya bars serve their own version of chicken skin on a skewer called kawa yakitori, while some KFCs in Indonesia actually put chicken skin on their menus. 

While this vintage fried food is enjoying a full-fledged culinary comeback, you can certainly make your own at home, too. You'll first need to gather enough chicken skins, either by asking your local butcher or patiently saving the skins from store-bought chickens in the freezer. One recipe calls for sandwiching the chicken skins between two lined sheet trays and baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until all the fat has rendered. If you'd prefer to deep fry, you'll want to start with completely dry skins and a heated skillet full of neutral oil. Make sure they aren't crowded, and fry until the bubbling slows and the skins turn golden before letting them drain and topping them with salt or your favorite spice blend. Whether you're chowing down on chicken chicharrones in Mexico or tossing back skewered skins in Tokyo, you and Johnny Cash are in good company.